The Story of Us
by Mskayyy
Summary: Isabel DeSanctus is finally happy. She has someone who cares for her, someone who loves her. But Lady Katherine Pierce wants all those things for herself alone. Will Bella find Happiness with her love, Damon?
1. Where we Began

**Chapter 1 : Where We Began**

**A/N : My first published story!**

**Damon POV**

"Isabel! Isabel, wait! Stop, please!" I ran behind her laughing, as she sprinted off into the woods, constantly looking over her shoulder and smirking.

"No! I believe you claimed that you would be able to catch me, and so now you have to prove it!" She in between her giggles and pants for breath.

I paused to catch my breath, resting my hands on my knees, gasping for breath. God, what a runner that girl was! Of course, If father so much as heard her loud voice echoing through the trees... Stefan and I won't see the end of it. Father would keep bickering on about how unladylike Isabel was, how 'Ladies should be seen, not heard.' The usual. Not that it would stop us from seeing her. She was our best friend, of course.

We met Isabel, when she came to town from England, accompanying Lady Katherine. She had said she was her aide. Stefan and I saw her frequently; sometimes accompanying the Lady, and at other times, alone, in some quiet place, the Library, by the Creek, or maybe in the orchard. When she was in public, she would look down, not meeating a single eye, at tthe beck and call of the lady.

It was when Stefan and I went to visit the orchard that we spoke to her for the first time. She was quite shy, blushing furiously when we addressed her. Slowly, she opened up, and she was a whole different person. She told us stories of her time in England, about her family, how everyone in her family had died, except her, and she was living off the streets, when Lady Katherine found her and took her in.

Everyday, we three would meet, whenever she got free time, and tlak about anything and everything under the sun, even our little troubles and worries. She became our confidante, someone to whom we could tell all about our drinking father, dead mother, family problems. Stefan would even ask her for advice on courting ladies, but I had lost all interest in other women after meeting her.

I often found Stefan telling me how we'd found a sister we never had, and always longed for, but I secretly disagreed. Theere was something in her eyes when she looked at me, and I could swear that it was there in my eyes too. I could feel it; our relationship was not meant to be platonic. It was something more, something much much more. I knew it, and she knew it. We just avoided talking about it.

Until today.

"Isabel, we are going to get lost! I can't see the house any more! Please stop!" I yelled at the flash of a cream gown disappearing into the trees ahead of me.

"Only if you admit that I'm faster than you!" she laughed from the trees.

"Ugh! Fine! You are faster than me! Happy?" I said in a mock- disgruntled voice, stopping and holding on to a tree for support.

"Very happy! Finally, finally, the great Damon Salvatore has accepted defeat! Victory is mine!" she cheered into the sky, which was going darker by the minute. She walked upto me, clutching her heart. The run had taken it's toll on her too.

"We should get back. They would be looking for us," I said half- heartedly. Every moment spent in her company was a luxury.

"Can't we wait a little longer? Please? I want to see the stars come out!" she said to me, in her innocent sweet voice.

"Fine. Let's sit here."

We sat on the ground, cuddling up together. In a while, the skylight dimmed, and a clear summer night rose.

I was content. I did not want to move, I just wanted to sit there forever, with my Isabel in my arms.

After a while, she spoke to me, her head tucked under my chin. "Damon?"

"Hmmmm?""

"This feels nice."

"I know."

She was quiet for a while.

"Damon?"

"Yes, Isabel?"

"Is your father very angry at you and Stefan for spending time with me?"

"Yes. But his opinion does not matter. I live my life the way I want, and the same goes for Stefan. He has no right telling us how to live. We are not children anymore." The last part came out a bit too harsh. I was remembering all the times he had come home drunk and beat me and Stefan. Most of the times, I had tried to avoid Stefan getting hurt. Mother was not here, and I had to take care of my little brother, like she had asked me to, during her pregnancy. But I couldn't help it all the time.

I was lost in my thoughts, when she spoke again.

"Damon? Maybe you shouldn't see me anymore. I mean, I don't want to start a feud in your family,"

"You are not starting anything," I said firmly. "If he cannot accept us the way we are, then he should not call himself our father."

"Damon! You should never say that!" She looked anxious, her worst fears confirmed.

"It's not because of you, my Bella. It's not your fault." I said softly, and realised that I slipped up. I called her my Bella constantly,just in my mind.

We both stiffened slightly.

"I have to tell you something. Don't- don't make fun of me, alright? I just have to say it,"She said hesitantly.

"You can tell me anything," I said, fearing the worst; her rejection, her fury, her goodbye.

She turned around, facing me. Her eyes were cast down. She was blushing ruby red.

"I-"

I waited patiently, unconsciously biting my lips.

"I love you."


	2. Happy

**A/N : I really hope you like the story, 'coz I'm falling in love with it, myself! **

**A huuuuge Thank you, and a bear hug to MidnightForever17 and LadyElena17 who are my first ever reviewers. THANK YOU!**

**So, not going to keep u waiting much longer, here's chapter 2.**

**Chapter 2 : Happy**

**Isabel POV**

I can't believe I just said that to him! Oh, God! What if he doesn't feel the same way? What if he is revolted with me? What if he never wants to see me anymore? What have I done?

"Isabel," he said to me, surprise filling his voice.

I cut him off. "If you don't feel the same way, of course, I more than understand. If you don't want to see me, that's perfectly fine. I –"

He stopped my mindless chatter with his lips. The moment his lips touched mine, I felt a fire flashing through my body. I trembled. I had never done anything remotely similar before; this was whole new world to me.

All I could feel was him, his arms gently holding my back, as my own fingers tangling into his amazingly soft ebony hair at the nape of his neck. His lips caught my lower lip between them, and sucked on them, causing me to moan his name softly. This brought out a stronger reaction in him. He moved his mouth from mine, to my jaw, leaving cool wet trail, as he swept his tongue along my jawbone. When he reached my ear, he gently nibbled my earlobe, twisting the ends of my hair that had long ago fallen out of it's neat up-do. A shiver ran down my spine.

"Oh God, Damon…."

"Yes, cara…." He said in a husky voice.

I couldn't reply. I was too much enjoying the pleasure he was giving me.

"You were saying something, amante?"

I gasped at the word of affection. He chuckled.

"You have no idea, do you, cara? You are all I have been thinking about ever since I talked to you. You have captured my heart, il mio amore, I was too much afraid to tell you how I feel, because…"

"Because you were worried about how I would respond?" I asked breathlessly. He stopped playing with my hair, and looked into my eyes. I looked back into the crystal blue depths, and saw nothing but sincerity there.

"Yes," he nodded.

"So, is that a yes? Do you… love me?"

"With all my heart, cara, truly, I do. I love you." He whispered.

I ducked my head, trying to hide the blush that was slowly but surely spreading across my cheeks. My obvious happiness at his words was evident on my face, from the slow involuntary smile that was spreading across it.

He watched my telltale signs of joy, the same pleasure echoing in his deep crystal eyes.

"I love the way you blush. It is just so exquisite, it makes you even more beautiful, if that is possible…"

I felt my cheeks burning hotter, they were on fire by now. He chuckled.

"Shall I resume?" he asked, and without even waiting for my reply, he took off where we left off.

It wasn't long after that I broke off from him, gasping. From the way were going at it, I could tell, we wouldn't stop till… well, let's say, for a very, _very_ long time. It was quite dark now. The pink and orange streaks had faded from the sky, leaving nothing but pitch black, sprinkled with stars, and the rising moon.

"They will be looking for us, Damon, we have to go…" I said, reluctantly.

"Let them. I don't care, cara," he said, not taking his eyes off my lips.

"No… No. We have to go. If someone found us… God, if your father found us!" I gasped, sitting up. How did we end up lying on the floor? In a very compromising position at that, too… Damon's shirt was untucked and unbuttoned, his chest in full view. Had I done that?

I looked down and my eyes widened. The torso of my dress was off, hanging around my waist, and my corset was almost half off. My blush seemed to be permanent now.

He flashed his characteristic smile, and lounged on the forest floor, head resting on his hand.

I regained some of my composture, and turned to him, my hands flying over my clothes, trying to fix the mess.

"Well, Mr. Salvatore, quite the womaniser, aren't we? I see Stefan's tales were more based on fact, than fiction…" I smirked at the alarmed expression on his face. I chucked, "Just making fun of you…"

He grinned, and then abruptly became serious. "Let's go to father, and tell him about us."

My expression must have been horrified, because he suddenly took my face between his hands.

"No, cara. He will not say a word against it. Against us. I will not allow it."

"No, no Damon. If your father knows, Lady Katherine knows. If she knows, then…" I trailed off, horrified at what the Lady's reaction would be. "No, no. I am merely a servant girl. Everyone would frown upon me. What was I thinking? This is all my fault. I should not have said anything! What will happen now? Oh, good God!" I was going to pieces with each second.

He took my hands in his. "Cara, cara, look at me. It would not make any difference whether you are a servant, or royalty. I did not fall in love with you because of your- your social status, or occupation! I fell in love with you, simply because you are you. My father's opinion-"

I cut him off. "That's just it! Your father's opinion! It matters Damon! However much you may deny it, it's true."

"Amante," he whispered, "Please don't worry, we will find a way to be together forever. After all, what kind of a love story would ours be?" He chuckled. He knew of my soft spot for the romance genre.

I looked at him intently. "Yes. You are right."

"Of course I am." He smirked. Mr. Cocky was back.

"Oh, har har. Be serious, Damon."

Suddenly, in a distance, I could here Emily's voice. "Isabel? Isabel? Where are you, child?" I jumped up, alarmed. "Damon! We have to go! We can't be seen together!"

"But why? Are you-" fake gasp "- ashamed of being seen in public with me, principessa?" he asked me in a mock hurt voice, the smile never leaving his face.

"You know very well why! Please, leave, now! You go around and enter through the front, and I'll sneak in through the back. Go to your chambers and pretend you were there the whole time!"

He sighed, surrendering. "Fine. You can have your way." He got to his feet.

"Isabel? Isabel! Are you in here?" Emily's voice was getting closer by the minute.

"Goodbye. I'll see you tomorrow, tesoro." I said, feeling depressed already.

He surprised me as he grabbed my forearms, lifter me up and placed a quick kiss on my lips.

"Buona notte, cara."

I smiled, and set out towards Emily's voice.

I passed a few trees and came to a halt as the light of a gas lamp hit my face.

"Oh, goodness! There you are, child! I was so worried! Where did you run off to like that? The lies I had to tell the Lady!"

"My apologies, Emily. I- I was looking for blueberries, and I got tired, so I decided to take a nap, and before I knew it, it was dark, and-"

"You took a nap on the forest floor? You are so careless, my girl! You've ruined your dress! Turn around, let me see the damage."

I spun on the spot.

"Now look, you've got your skirt stained. That is going to take ages to come off, that is! What am I going to do with you?" Emily chattered away, fussing over my clothes and hair, as we made out way back.

"Emily, has the Lady been asking for me?"

"Hmmm? She did wonder where you are, once, but I told her you were off doing some chores."

"Thank you, Emily. I simply don't know what I would do without you."

Her expression softened. "I've been taking care of you since you were six, my child. That's almost eleven years now. I'm quite used to your absentmindedness by now."

I smiled. In many ways, Emily was the mother that I lost in childhood. I could tell her all my secrets. Well, except my latest one. Or can I?

"Um, Emily?" I asked timidly.

"Yes, Isabel?"

"Have you had supper yet?" I was too much of a coward. That much was obvious.

"No, dear. I was waiting for you."

As I made my bed, tired after a long day, I felt someone behind. I abruptly turned on the spot, lost balance, and fell back into my bed, stifling my scream.

"Damon! Good God! Do you want to shock me to death?"

"Hello, mia carina. I just could not sleep without seeing your face."

I smiled. "I take it you were thinking of me every moment, Mr. Salvatore?"

"Yes, Miss DeSanctus. Every blastedly elongated second."

I smiled. "If Emily bursts in-?"

"I don't care," he said, as he sat down beside me.

"And if Stefan comes looking for you in your chambers?"

"Actually, he is waiting right outside."

"You told him?" I wasn't angry. Quite to the contrary, I was happy that I did not have to keep a secret from my best friend. "Let him come in!"

Stefan burst in with a huge grin on his face, not even bothering to be quiet. "Oh God, Isabel! I'm so happy for you two!" He hugged me, lifting me up in the air and twirling me around.

I giggled, happy of his approval. "Put me down, Stefan! You both should go, Emily might come and check on me!"

He put me down, as Damon swooped in and kissed me. "A good night kiss, cara. I shall see you in the morning."

Both of them left, Damon shaking his head at Stefan's ear to ear grin.

**A/N:** **So what, do you like it? Hate it? Love it? Despise it? Puke, No Way, or Love This One, can you please do me a favor, and REVIEW? It's coz I see the charts and I know so many people visited it, but I don't know if you like it or not! Please please please review! Just tell me what you think!**

**Oh, and if you're wondering, I'm using elements from both the book, and the tv series. What can I say, the Best of Both Worlds seems to work for me!**

**Lotza luv,**

**MsKayyy.**


	3. Gone

**A/N : Thanks to all those who reviewed and added me to their alert list. Your love keeps me writing- uh- typing! **

**Chapter 3 :**

**Damon POV**

It has been a few weeks since that evening in the forest. My life is overflowing with happiness, I fell like I might burst. Of course, I try not to show it outside, because my Bella wanted it to be a secret, till she was ready to tell my parents. On the positive side, she did end up telling Emily, because she was so bad at lying, and also because Emily was practically her family.

We were finding it extremely difficult to stay away from each other. The frequency of our regular meetings was not enough for us, and Stefan was with us then, making us crave for a little secluded time. And of course, it was quite a lot easier with the help of Emily, I could sneak into the servants' quarters easily every night. Of course, we have not uh- "gotten carried away" yet; we have been in complete control.

There was a jitter in the air this morning; everyone was excited up to a level. Tonight was the Masquerade Ball my father was holding in honor of Lady Katherine's arrival. Stefan was happy, because he wanted to spend more time with Lady Katherine, he was apparently developing a fancy for her. I was happy, because I will get to spend all the more time with Isabel away from the public eyes.

I looked down from my balcony, impatient for the party to start, but there were hours left to go. As I looked down into the garden, I could see the Lady taking a stroll, accompanied by Stefan, and Isabel walking a few yards behind.

Katherine seemed to be deeply enjoying Stefan's company, and vice versa. She was laughing demurely at some joke my brother said. Hmm. I wonder if he will end up marrying her.

I went back to my bed, sat down, and waited impatiently.

**Isabel POV**

(Later, the ball is about to start)

I finished tying the Lady's corset for her, and went into the other room to get her hat and combs.

"How do you want your hair done, signorina?"

"I think I shall let it loose behind my back today. Mr. Salvatore likes it that way."

For a moment, I wondered if she was talking about Damon.

"So, tell me, Isabel. What do you do these days when you are free?" The Lady asked me, her voice dripping saccharine. This struck me as strange behavior on her part, because she has never taken any interest in what I do before in my life.

"Nothing much, signorina. I go to the orchard, or read, by the lake." I was one of those lucky girls who were educated, my father must have taught me.

"Have you made any friends here?" she asked, too innocently.

_She knows_.

"Of course, signorina, but I, um, prefer to spend time alone."

"Are you sure?" she said, looking at me intently, as though expecting me to blurt out everything.

"Yes, signorina." I gulped, nervously. She caught my nervousness, but didn't comment, just smiled impishly.

"You may go, Isabel. I don't need you anymore."

I left to my room, and decided to take a nap for a while.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The ball was in full swing. I was waiting away from the crowd, near the woods on the other side of the manor, for Damon. He had assured me that he would get away from the party as soon as he could.

In the darkness, I saw a light coming towards me. It must be Damon. I can't believe he kept me waiting for so long! I walked forward to meet him, smiling in spite of my irritation with him. He was a few yards away from me, when I saw his face clearly. Something was not right. He looked… blank. His features were set cold, and he had an impatient look in his eyes. What worried me the most, was that he did not smile at me. Every time we saw each other, he always gave me a smile, in spite of his mood at the moment. It scared me.

"Damon, is… is something wrong?"

"No. Everything is perfectly fine. Come for a walk with me." I could sense something bad was going to happen. I just knew it.

"Al- alright. Where are we going?"

He didn't bother responding. He just started walking straight into the woods.

Alright, let's walk.

"Damon! Damon, wait! Hold on, I need to know what the matter is." I tried to keep up with him, but he was faster.

After walking for a long time, we stopped near a tree.

"Alright, let's hear it." He was making me more and more irritated. What was wrong with him?

"I don't love you."

**(A/N : I had half a mind to stop there, I know you guys would hunt me down and kill me, PLUS, I am a reader too, and I know how much cliffhangers suck, so I decided to give y'all a break.)**

My mind was numb. I couldn't think.

"Wh- what?" I must have misheard him. Yes, that must be it.

"It was nothing but a game to me."

"N- no, you are lying."

"I am not lying. You were just a pastime," he said cruelly.

I couldn't form a coherent thought.

"I'm sorry that I let this go on for so long," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "This is the best way I know to spend time. You should probably know that by now. I am sure Stefan has told you all about my- reputation."

"I- I- yes, but-"

"Then you must have known that you were just another conquest?"

_Conquest?_

"Why?" I whispered. I was scared to speak out, for fear of my voice breaking.

"Don't take it to your heart, cara. It was all an act. It meant nothing, after all"

Were those words supposed to be a comfort? Couldn't he see me hurting?

"It was fun while it lasted, cara. But I'm sorry that it was not true. But, you see, A man can get extremely bored, cooped up in the house for so long…. I needed a distraction." He smiled.

All I could do was stare at him horrified.

"So, I suppose this is arrivederci, signorina."

"Please… Don't do this." I was on the verge of breaking down, I was holding onto the last strands.

"But I already did, cara," he said somewhat gently. With that, he walked away.

He was gone.

Gone.

Gone.

.

.

.

**Emily POV**

Where is that girl? I wondered, as I trudged through the forest, looking for her.

Must be sitting somewhere gazing at the stars. I shook my head.

It was then that I heard a whisper.

"Gone…."

It was Isabel's voice, and she was crying.

I ran as fast as my feet could take me through the woods, dodging trees and bushes in the way, towards the source of the voice.

There the girl was, lying on the floor. She kept whimpering the word, "Gone."

"Dear Goodness, bambina! What happened?"

She turned her head , lifting it from her curled up body, and looked at me, tears streaking her face.

"Gone."

**A/N: There we are! My third Chapter! Is there something you like? Don't like? Am I going too fast? Too slow? Tell me, please! Review! **

**No, seriously. Am I taking the story too fast? I need to know.**

**Lotza Luv,**

**MsKayyy.**


	4. Left

**A/N: Hey, y'all. Sorry for the delay, but I had my end of the term exams. Anywayz, this chapter is kinda short, but it fits. Here you go!**

**Damon POV**

I don't know why. I don't know how. All I could feel was this irresistible urge to go to Isabel. I walked through the party lights, towards the fringe of the woods, where I knew she was waiting for me. I tried to remember what I was doing barely five moments ago, but I couldn't. I just drew a blank. It was as though someone had wiped my memories for that short while off. The last thing I remember was… talking to Stefan. He was looking in recognition at something, someone behind me. And then- blank.

As I reached the edge of the woods, I recognized a slender figure standing in the dark. I was smiling in my mind, happy to see her, but I couldn't get that smile on my face. I reached her, and she looked up. She looked relieved for a moment, but then it was replaced by worry.

"Damon, is… is something wrong?" She could barely hide the sense of fear in her voice.

I longed to take away her fears, take her in my arms, and kiss her senseless, but right then, something happened. I couldn't.

"No. Everything is perfectly fine. Come for a walk with me." What was happening? My mouth was forming those words, but I- I wasn't controlling it. It was as though it had a mind of it's own. My body wouldn't listen to me either. It was as though I was trapped in someone else's mind. And most importantly, I could feel someone else's presence, not nearby, but in my mind. Call me eccentric, but that- _that presence_- it was controlling my body, while I was trapped in my mind.

"Al- alright. Where are we going?" She stuttered.

I- No, my body walked deeper into the woods. She ran, trying to keep up.

"Damon! Damon, wait! Hold on, I need to know what the matter is."

After walking for a long time, we stopped near a tree.

"Alright, let's hear it." I could feel her impatience and irritation. If I wasn't so worried, and if I had control over my body, I would have been chuckling at her. But I just looked through my own eyes at her, feeling so very helpless. I could feel the frustration building up in my mind, the irritation at this abominable creature that refused to let me talk to my Bella.

"I don't love you." I was shocked, to say the least. _What was I saying? _Was I crazy? Oh good God!

She looked at me uncomprehending.

"Wh- what?"

"I was lying." _Lies!_ My mind roared.

"N- no, you are lying." _Yes! I am! Please see through this façade!_

"I am not lying. You were just a pastime," _Lies! All horrible twisted lies!_

She looked too shocked to speak.

"I'm sorry that I let this go on for so long. This is the best way I know to spend time. You should probably know that by now. I am sure Stefan has told you all about my- reputation." My mouth curled into an ugly grin, I could feel it. This was just so _wrong_!

"I- I- yes, but-" She was confused, but I could see her devastation breaking through.

"Then you must have known that you were just another conquest?"

_Conquest? Oh, God, she must hate me now._

"Why?" she whispered.

"Don't take it to your heart, cara. It was all an act. It meant nothing, after all"

I could see her hurt, and it killed me. It killed me that I was so helpless. I hated this. I wished that I would die, I truly deserved it.

"It was fun while it lasted, cara. But I'm sorry that it was not true. But, you see, A man can get extremely bored, cooped up in the house for so long…. I needed a distraction." My face twisted into that grin again. Oh, how I hated myself for doing that to her!_ Please, Cara! Please see me!_

She stared at me horrified. She looked so devastated. _My Bella… _

"So, I suppose this is arrivederci, signorina." _No. No! I can't say goodbye! Why are you doing this? _I screamed at whoever it was that I could feel in my body, taking possession of my organs and limbs, making her hate me.

"Please… Don't do this." She was about to break down, and I struggled against the force that prevented me from breaking free.

"But I already did, cara," My struggle helped me gain a little control, my words were tainted with a gentleness that must seem odd to her, if she ever caught it.

And so, I walked away from my only love.

**A/N: Hi again! I've decided to join the "review or won't post" bandwagon.**

**Give me a neat 15 reviews, and I'll put up the next chapter. Sorry to be pushing like this, but HEY, I like my healthy share of reviews! **

**Lotza Luv,**

**MsKayyy.**


	5. Friend

**A/N: Fine, fine!**

**Thank you to all those who reviewed till now, you truly made my day. Honestly, you caught me on a bad day, and made me feel better at once!**

**Chapter 5: Friend**

**Isabel POV**

I could not understand. I was too numb to feel sorrow, anger, loss, anything. The only thing I could come to terms with was that it was over.

Love, life, meaning, over.

I vaguely remembered Emily finding me on the forest floor, curled up. Somehow I had gotten on my bed, and according to the bits and pieces I could hear from the other servants who were talking above me, I could gather that I had fever. I did not cry, for crying would mean that what happened was real. It would be admitting the fact that he was truly gone.

I stayed awake the whole night. Every time I closed my eyes, it was his face I saw, his beautiful face, eyes full of love, looking at me. It was a picture of happiness, contradictory to the last memory I had of him. No, no. I refused to think of it.

Emily tried to coax me to go to sleep, but I refused to close my eyes. It was evident that she was frightened. I refused to tell her anything about what happened to me, except the word "Gone." She refused to leave my side throughout the night.

Morning came, bringing with it a sense of acceptance.

I understood.

He did not want me.

It was all nothing.

Something that meant the world to me was just insignificant to him. I was just the vulnerable servant girl whom he decided to have a short fling with.

It was just entertainment.

It was then that the tears started flowing freely. It hurt deep in my heart. I cried so much that I woke up Emily who was sleeping on a chair next to me, her head resting on my bed, who tried comforting me as best as she could. I was oblivious to her words, however. I cried myself to sleep.

XXXXXXX

When I woke up, the sunlight was coming from an odd angle into the room. I got up, and went to the small mirror that was hanging on the wall. I looked at my reflection on the dirty glass. Blotchy eyes, swollen and red, stared back at me. I remembered Emily's frightened face from last night. I could not let him kill my soul like that. I had to at least make an effort. For Emily, I would make an effort. I had to survive. Life would go on, and this was just a part of life.

I cleaned myself up, and went to the kitchen to help cook the dinner.

XXXXXXXXXX

Emily did not press for details. She took it all without saying a word in return. She accepted my strange behavior, my refusal to acknowledge the previous night, without pressing for details. I kept myself occupied, so that I would be distracted from the pain.

Would Stefan be like this too? Was it all just a game to him, as well? I was to find out soon.

Stefan came to see me that evening, when I was tending to the garden.

"Isabel! Were you attending the party yesterday? It was amazing! Lady Katherine and I seem to be getting along like a house on fire!" He chattered away, happily oblivious to my situation.

"Say, have you seen Damon? I haven't seen him since he left the party after talking to Katherine. He told me was going to see you." Tears sprang to my eyes, overflowing, washing my cheeks. He was surprised.

"What happened? Is he- is he alright? Did he say something to you? Did you fight?" His tone grew from surprised to angry to fuming in seconds.

I couldn't stop the sobs that escaped my mouth. He hesitated for a moment, and then took the garden shears from my hand, threw them on the ground, and led me to our favorite spot near the creek. He settled me down on the grass, sat down next to me, and put his arm around me. It hurt even more to be here, where memories of Stefan, him, and me were living in every breath of air.

I realized that I had not just lost my lover, but also one of my two best friends. I was glad that Stefan's feelings towards me were genuine. I was not sure I could take double the amount of heartbreak, even if Stefan was my best friend, and not my lover.

"Isabel, tell me what happened. Please. It hurts me to see you like this," he begged.

I blurted out all that happened last night, from the party, to me waking up this afternoon, to him, through my tears. When I finished, he was horrified.

"What! That is impossible! Damon would not say that! He wouldn't!" He was in refusal, just like I was a few hours ago. Was it hours? It felt like days, without him. The thoughts made my heart hurt again.

"He said that it was all an act, that it meant nothing to him, at all."

"No! The Damon I know-"

"The Da- Damon you know is a womanizer, a flirt who used girls for entertainment. You said so yourself, Stefan," I replied, avoiding his eyes. It hurt to even say his name. I had never felt like this before.

"Yes, but-"

"But?"

"But you were different! I could see the change you induced in him! You made him a better person. You meant something to him, Isabel."

"I don't believe so, Stefan. He was telling the truth yesterday. I suppose he's- he's just a good actor, that's all." My voice broke.

Stefan held me, while I cried my heart out. Except for occasional mutterings of "I don't understand" and "It just isn't possible, there is no way in hell" he was quiet.

In the silence, as he held me, I could think. I saw it. I was just the naïve seventeen year old girl, a servant girl, no less, who was living in his house. Of course, it was obvious. He was not interested in me. Just in my body, that's all. He needed to while away all his free time somehow, and what more interesting, than the servant girl? I suppose he thought I was pretty.

All those words, amore, cara, carina, principessa, all those terms of endearment, they were insincere. I was the only one of us two who meant those words. And still would mean it, if I had to use them. But of course, I would never have to use them again. I still love him, but he did not love me, not now, not ever.

I was the fool. I had heard all the servants discussing this at one time or the other. How their masters may try to take advantage of them, how they should always be careful, and such. From those conversations, all I picked up was that they are interested in- well- sex. I never in my worst nightmare imagined that someone would take advantage of my emotions. And we never even got to sex. Maybe he got bored with me. Maybe he was irritated at how slow we were going.

When we finally made our way back to the house, it was getting dark. In my subconscious mind, I could feel eyes watching me in the dark, but I was too emotionally depressed to notice.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that night, as I made my bed, Stefan burst in. He had an utter look of fury on his face.

"What happened?" I asked. My voice was lifeless, no animosity in it.

"I confronted him. He didn't even bother denying, in fact, he was smirking!"

My heart, already breaking, was split in two. I sat down on my bed, my face expressionless.

"I'm sorry, Isabel. I apologize for him. I can't believe my brother!"

"It's fine, Stefan. I'm glad- glad that I could at least provide entertainment." My voice broke on the last word, but strangely, no tears came.

"I- I refuse to believe it. You mean more to him, I know it. God, I hate him so much for doing this to you!" He fumed.

"You shouldn't hate him, Stefan. It's in his nature. He is like this. I- I don't hold it against him. I- I can't. I love him too much, still, to hate him for using me," I said in my strangely calm voice.

He looked at me intently. "I'm glad you think so, Isabel. But try as you might, I truly believe he is in the blame. The nerve of him!"

"Thank you for standing up for me, Stefan. But I do not wish for you to fight because of me. Please. That would just cause me to feel guilty. Please promise me, Stefan, that you won't fight because of me. Please, Stefan, as a friend, I ask this of you." I had a feeling that that was exactly what would happen, they would fight.

He looked down on the floor of my room for a long moment, heaved a sigh, and looked up to face me. "Alright, I promise, Isabel."

"Thank you, Stefan. It means the world to me. Now, go, before someone catches you here. The son of the conte, in the servants' quarters! Just think of the scandal!" I tried to make light of the situation, failing terribly. He did not laugh, but the corners of his mouth turned up, just a bit. Must have been the dead tone in my voice. He kissed my forehead, and gave me a final hug.

"Fine. I shall leave you here, Isabel. Buena notte." He walked towards the closed door.

"Buena notte, Stefan. Thank you for being there for me. I don't know what I would have done without you." I smiled slightly, and sadly, at him.

I'll always be there for you, Isabel, no matter what. I shall always be your brother. I'll never abandon you, unlike- well… Never mind."

**A/N: Please, please, please review, because Reviews inspire me to write more, and write more = more updates. If you have any ideas, don't hesitate to voice it, just review. **

**Lotza Luv,**

**MsKayyy.**

**P.S. I hope you don't mind, but I always thought of Stefan as a younger brother. He seems perfect for that role. And he's just so darn cute, too! **


	6. Banter

**A/N: ! I live on your reviews!**

**Chapter 6: Banter**

**Isabel POV**

What felt like months, were in fact, just days. It was three days since the -incident in the forest. Stefan visited me twice since then I had grown to depend on him. He was my rock, always _affidabile._ We were now closer than ever. He… saved me. I truly cannot begin to comprehend what I would have been without him. I would have probably committed suicide, truly. When I needed my long dead brother, of whom I had only the faintest memories, God gave him to me in the form of Stefan. He was the one person who kept me sane. I spent virtually every free waking minute of mine (which wasn't much) with him, unless he was with the Lady, of course.

On the downside, I still lived under the same roof as him, so it was unavoidable that I ran into him again. Try as I may to avoid these particular encounters, which always resulted in me crying my heart out on Stefan or Emily's shoulder, Fate seemed to hate me with a passion. Every time I bumped into him, he looked at me with overly polite, stranger eyes. He talked to me with a dismissing tone. This just hurt even more. But I was coping.

I wondered at times, when I saw him. There seemed to be something in his eyes, past the cool exterior. They seemed to be screaming something at me, something I couldn't understand. But then again, I put it down to wishful thinking, and a broken heart. But there was one thing; he wasn't just distant with me, he was _distant_, in general. He was withdrawn and detached all the time. Stefan and him seemed to fight more and more by the day, and I was taken over by a fresh stream of guilt at this, even though Stefan assured me repeatedly that I was not the reason. He seemed to hide the true reason from me, evading my questions and changing the subject every time I asked him about it. I shrugged it off, not bothering too much about it. There was one thing that was gnawing at the base of my mind though. That one thing went by the name Lady Katherine.

The way she behaved with me, especially after th- that day… it was slightly alarming. She paid more attention to me, talked to me more, enquired about my well- being, not in a caring way, but in a more… curious, almost offending way. She always got an impish smile, whenever she asked me about something personal; a smile that grew into a grin, when I replied neutrally. I couldn't avoid the suspicion that she knew everything. And I also got the distinct feeling that she… she hated me.

One late afternoon, as I was sitting beside our brook, with Stefan, I tentatively broached the subject.

"Stefan?" I asked, timidly.

"Yes, Isabel?" He replied, looking at the unending stream of water flowing past us, deep in thought.

"Well, don't be mad, alright? I wanted to ask you something." When he didn't respond, I added, "It's about the Lady."

He frowned. "What about Katherine?"

"Well… Does she know? Have you told her about… You know… Da- Damon and me?" I finished lamely.

"Of course not, Isabel. Why do you ask?"

"Just the way she was behaving towards me. She talks to me, as if she knows, Stefan. And I get the feeling that she dislikes me somehow." Hate was the real word, but I mellowed it down to dislike, because she was Stefan's _fidanzata_, fiancée of sorts.

His frown deepened. "Of course she doesn't hate you, Isabel. She is a gentle soul, incapable of ill feelings towards anyone. I can't believe you would think like that!"

"Oh, no, I wasn't implying that! It's just… I just…" I trailed away, not knowing how to explain myself.

"Please, Isabel. Don't talk of her like that. She is just a misunderstood girl, and you of all people, you, whom I was sure would understand, _you_ start to believe in the gossip spread by the servants!" He was leaning forward to me, and his eyes were glazed over.

Okay, how did we get to this point? I was confused and alarmed. "_Calmarsi_, Stefan. I didn't imply that she was anything less that a virtuous woman! You don't have to have a fit about it! God!"

He seemed to visibly settle down. "What are you doing tomorrow, Isabel? Isn't it a free day for you?"

What just happened? I raised an eyebrow at him. It was as though the last few minutes did not happen at all.

"What?" He seemed confused.

"Um… Alright, are you okay?"

"Of course. Why would you ask that?"

"Maybe because you were valiantly defending Lady Katherine's honor a minute ago, and you transitioned from a ferocious lion" I mimicked a claw at him, sarcastically, "to a humble kitten" I pouted, letting out a fake mew, "within seconds!"

He looked at me as though I was crazy. "What are you talking about?"

"Really? Now we are acting oblivious? Faking memory loss?" I was in one of my rare sarcastic moods.

"What the hell are you going on about, Isabel?" he seemed honestly alarmed at my accusation. I looked at him skeptically.

"_**What?**_" He was seriously bewildered now.

"Fine. I'll let it go."

"Let what go?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

"No, let what go?"

"Leave it."

There was an awkward silence. I broke it with my mindless chatter.

"Yes. Tomorrow is a free day for me. Are you going to be busy? If you aren't I suggest we go over to the other side of the orchard, Emily said she found a lake there while berry- picking. We can have a picnic, all three-" I stopped myself, suddenly aware that there weren't "the three of us" anymore.

Stefan looked sad for a moment, and then, his nostrils flared. He put his arms around me, and said, "We don't need him, Isa. You and I are fine be ourselves. Who needs him?" So much did he sound like a four- year- old, that I forgot my tears, and smiled.

"Stefan, please. Act your age. Otherwise people will begin to think that you are younger than me. On second thoughts, I don't mind! I hate being the youngest anyway!"

He put his tongue out in an even more mature gesture. I laughed. "Exactly what I'm talking about." This brought a bout of laughter that lasted a long while. Ever time one of us sobered up, the other would start laughing and the whole thing would start again.

Finally, sobering up after a long while, Stefan said, "Actually, I can't come to the picnic. I made pans with Katherine, Isa. That's why I asked. I was wondering if you would be alright by yourself."

"Oh." I was crestfallen. "That's alright. I'll catch up on my reading. You should go have fun with the Lady."

"I can cancel my plans if you want," he said half- heartedly. I could see that he really wanted to spend time with her. So even though I detested her, I told him, "Please, Stefan! What are you going to tell her? '_Pronto, Tesoro!_ I am going to have to call today's plans off because I want to spend time with your servant!' Really, Stefan! Sometimes, I suspect that you _do _have the mental development of a four- year- old!" I laughed to add to the effect, even though I was cringing inside from my fake voice. I detested her, I despised her, I hated her, truly.

Stefan seemed convinced. Hmmm. I didn't know I was such a good actress.

"So, are you done with Romeo and Juliet?" I changed the topic before he could broach further.

"Nearly. I am reading the last act. It's so sad…" he sighed.

"Why, Stefan Salvatore! I wouldn't have thought you to have a soft side! Then again… I may have…" I drawled, smiling at his angry expression.

**A/N: Don't forget, I live on reviews! Please give me something to live on!**


	7. Supernatural

**A/N : I know most of you might have filed a missing person report by now, (Sooo sorry!) but**

**I was grounded (I know, 17, and still grounded… That's why you should believe me when I say my life sucks.);**

**There was something wrong with the motherboard of the computer, so the computer guy came and took away the whole cpu for a week;**

**You get my point. I am truly extremely very very very sorry…**

**Chapter 7: Supernatural**

**Disclaimer: Seriously, have you seen me all over the news? Because I would be famous as hell if I truly did own any of TVD or Twilight!**

It was getting dark. The household had retired for the night. I was returning to the servant's quarters, after I replaced the Lady's clothes after washing. I noticed, with curiosity, that she was not in her chambers. I wondered where she could be, this late in the night. It was not appropriate for young women to be out of their chambers, not to mention in the residence of another.

As I walked down the corridor, returning to my room, I saw the Lady returning from the direction of Stefan's chambers. She was wiping her mouth with her sleeve. I hid myself from her sight, as she walked away, not towards her own chambers, but towards Damon's. My heart was aching. This was why Damon broke up with me. He already had a new interest. I was disgusted with Katherine. _Such a vile lady!_ My intuition was screaming at me to never trust her.

I decided to follow her. Something told me, deep in my mind, to keep a very good distance between the two of us.

As I watched, she entered Stefan's chambers. I waited out for fifteen minutes, and yet, she had not come out. I decided to go back to my chambers, lest someone should find _me_.

I decided to ask Emily about Katherine. Whatever Stefan said, I was not letting the "Katherine- seems- to- hate- me" matter go that easily. I got a bad feeling, an intuition, about her. Couple that with the fact that my best friend was wooing her, and I just saw her coming from Damon's chambers, and the fact that I got the feeling that she was not what she seemed to show everyone, but in fact, something much more… sinister… dangerous. I realized that I had to talk to Emily. I was a person who strongly believed in intuition, something Emily had raised me to trust. I still suspected something was wrong with the whole… situation. Well, the secret wasn't going to stay hidden; not if I could help it. **(A/N: Ha-ha! Isabel's evil side! Howdja like that?)**

I decided to ask Emily about it, since she was the one person who had known Katherine longer than all of us other servants. She was with her for the longest. I went to Emily's room that she shared with Mathilde, the Lady's personal cook. She was sitting on a frayed chair didn't look very comfortable, and knitting something.

"Emily, may I come in?"

She looked up. "Of course, my girl. What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Trust Emily to read the emotions right off my face. "How did you know?"

"Oh please, don't take me for an imbecile, my child. I've known you since you were a little bambina." She smiled.

I returned the smile, as I sat down on her bed, facing her. "Can I ask you something, Emily?"

"Ask away, my dear."

"Um, it's about the Lady." She frowned as she heard me. "I just found her going from Da- his chamber, right into Stefan's. Is she… Is she truly in love with Stefan, or is she playing with Stefan's affections? Is she- is there something I don't know about her? Something important?"

She avoided my eyes, and I took that as a sign that she indeed knew something I did not. "You know, don't you? You know her- her secret."

"Isabel," she began, and I immediately registered the fact that she called me by my name, something she only did when she was telling me something important. "What you need to know is that the world is not exactly all that you see. There are things that are living in the shadows, hidden to the human eye. There are things living in the night, of which you have only heard of in fairy tales, and myths. The supernatural, most of it, really, is very, very real, and truly dangerous. That's all I can tell you. I do not want you to be involved in that world. It is not for innocents like you, my child." What? _What? _How in the world did _supernatural _end up in this conversation?

"Um, Emily, What do you mean by supernatural? Is Katherine a supernatural creature? Does that mean she is dangerous? I truly want to know! I care about Stefan. He is my best friend, and I don't want something to hurt him, emotionally, or physically."

She looked surprised at my last word. I could tell that she had not been expecting it. She sighed, setting aside her knitting work.

"Isabel, my child, we are her servants. You must understand that. We get our daily bread because she shows us that kindness. We are indebted to her. We must not cause her trouble. We should be grateful for what she has done for us."

"Yes, but my loyalty does not lie exclusively to her! I must also stay true to my only best friend, who has stood by me through thick and thin, Emily. I love Stefan, and I do not want him hurt."

Emily was not convinced by my argument, I could see that.

"Go to bed, my child. I'm sorry, but as I said, I don't want to drag you into my world, a world where you might get hurt."

"Your world?" I asked quietly, peeking at her through my lashes.

"I- I mean-" Emily stuttered. I smiled slightly in my mind, but tried my best to keep a straight face. I had caught her slip. I had always known Emily was hiding a secret, and now I figured out the nature of that very secret.

She sighed in defeat. "Go to bed, child," was all she said.

_If not today, then there is always a tomorrow, Emily. _I thought, as I fell sleep.

XXXXXXX

I washed the clothes and was hanging them up to dry, when Mathilde ran up to me.

"Isabel, did you hear?"

"Hear what, Mathilde?"

"About the animal attacks, of course! Some sort of animal has been killing the travelers who take the path through the forest. Oh, dear, I do feel sorry for poor old Lisa who had to find them."

"Wh- who did Lisa find?" I was all ears now.

"Why, the bodies, my dear! Do try and keep up! Lisa found the half rotting corpses as she went to investigate the stench. Judging by their clothes and such, I'd say they were traders, from Venice or the likes."

_Ughh… Disgusting; _I thought to myself. And then something clicked.

"Wait. The animal killed the person, but left their bodies without eating them?" How else would the clothes be left on?

"Yes, not a hair out of place, except for the fact that they were dead. You see this was some wild animal that drinks the blood, but does not seem to have any particular liking to the flesh. The bodies were found with a bite mark on the necks, almost at the exact same spots."

I froze. An animal that drank blood, and left the flesh? That was unheard of. Unless you count…

One word echoed through my mind.

_Supernatural_.

I left my work undone and ran, stumbling half-way, to Emily.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Emily POV**

I stripped the bed-sheets off Katherine's bed, my hands moving of their own accord. My mind was elsewhere, and not what was in front of me. I was worried about the girl. Isabel.

I had accidentally let it slip. If she had even suspected anything before, I had confirmed those suspicions.

The one consolation was that she just knew that the supernatural existed. She didn't know how far into a supernatural world she was living. Witches, Werewolves, Vampires….

"Emily! Emily! Emi- aaaah!" I heard Isabel's voice coming from the antechamber.

"Goodness, my girl! What are you doing?"

"It's alright, I just stubbed my toe in my hurry, that's all, never mind that," she brushed aside my fussing, grabbing hold of my forearms. "Did you hear?"

"Hear what?" I asked, alarmed.

"About the animal attacks!"

I looked at her warily. "What animal attacks?"

"Some travelers were found dead in the forest. Mathilde told me that some wild beast attacked them, but the funny thing is, not a single hair of theirs was out of place, their flesh was uneaten, and except for _bite marks_ on their necks, they were perfectly fine, except that they were dead." She was watching my expression carefully as she said this, and from her face, I could see that she wasn't disappointed at all. Her expression was smug. I rearranged my face to one of remote concern.

"That's strange, and rather awful. Have you seen to the Lady's dress for tonight?"

She looked at me in her familiar single- brow- raised sarcastic expression.

"Fine. What?"

"Is it because of something… supernatural?" She asked, excitement leaking into her voice. It was nothing like how she used to be, before Damon. No, that special spark was lost. I sighed.

"Yes, Isabel, but I really prefer if you didn't know about this…"

"I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Alright." It was pointless to resist her anyway. "But not here."

We reached my room. "What do you want to know?"

"How do you know about the supernatural? How is it _your_ world? How are you involved? How is Lady Katherine involved? Is she- is she human at all?" She said the last question in a whispered rush.

"One question at a time, Isabel."

She sighed. "Alright. How are you involved?"

The most difficult question first. Just like her.

I sat down with her on the bed. "Isabel, I am a witch."

She did not say a thing. She did not move a muscle. She just looked at me. After a few moments, and still no response, I ventured tentatively.

"Isabel?"

"Witch?"

"Yes."

"Witch? Witches are real?"

"I'm afraid so, my child." I said as gently as capable.

"You can do… magic?"

"Yes."

"What sort of magic? Can you make things appear out of thin air? Can you disappear? Make fireballs?"

I laughed. "It is a more basic sort of magic, really. Witchcraft has been in my family for generation. Things that I can do are more of the sort of protection spells, potions, elemental control, psychic telepathy, spirit contact…"

"So when you said… supernatural… You meant… just witches?" she asked, hesitantly.

I looked down. She was asking me to tell her the very things I wanted to keep from her.

**Isabel POV**

Witches? That was the worst? I could live with that. If Emily was a witch, then surely, they aren't that dangerous. Surely, she was just exaggerating last night, when she said that the supernatural world was very dangerous.

I looked at her, realizing that she still had not answered my question.

"Emily? It's just witches, right?"

"No. There are so many more out there. Things we call creatures of the night. Werewolves… And…"

I realized that I'd touched the core of all the problems. I waited, curiosity building.

"Vampires," she said, almost inaudibly.


	8. Shock

**A/N: For those who have sent out search parties and put out "Wanted" posters, I am not dead. I repeat, I am not dead. Sorry that I vanished off the face of the internet for a long time, you guys.**

**Chapter 8: Shock**

**Disclaimer: You know I own zilch.**

Vampires. Vampires were real? I looked to Emily's face to see if she was joking, only to see it dead serious. Oh, God. Oh, _God._

Vampires were very real.

"But, then, they can only come out at night; all those myths hold true, right?" She did not respond.

"Emily?"

"Well... I do not want you to panic, Isabel, but..."

There was a sinking feeling in my stomach. "But...?"

"You see, sunlight burns them, but they are able to overcome that weakness with the help of a- a witch. Like me."

"What can you do?"

"I can enchant a certain type of gemstone to protect vampires from sunlight. A Lapis Lazuli encrusted on silver, usually."

"Alright... Have you? Enchanted a stone for someone, I mean?"

She looked at me curiously. "You have seen one, child. Try to remember."

I was not in a mood for childish games. I didn't understand, nor did I have the patience to make myself understand. "Please tell me, Emily. I can't- OH!" Everything clicked into place as my mind flashed a memory before my eyes.

A pale bony neck adorned by a low neck- line and a most unusual necklace with a stone of the brightest blue. The Lady's dressing chambers. _Katherine._

"Oh my God! Katherine... Is she..?"

Her look was enough to give me my answer. I felt sick. The woman who took me in, who employed me, who ended up ruining my life... A vampire. I was still digesting this fact, when I realized yet another crucial point.

"Oh God, Stefan! Does he know? What does she want with him? And- and Damon?"

"I am still her slave, my child. I have no right of enquiring about my mistress' business."

But... "Are they in danger? How stupid of me, of course they are! What can we do?"

"Well, first of all, 'we' are not doing anything. Believe it or not, it is _not our business._ I'm sorry," she added, softly.

"I can't do anything?"

"No."

As if I ever listened to her.

I kept that thought aside, for a more pressing matter.

"Katherine. She drinks blood, doesn't she?"

A silent nod on Emily's part. She was still afraid of my reaction. She should know better. I've been known to take worse news easier.

"Is she... she is the one behind those animal attacks?" I made it sound like a question.

Nod.

I couldn't reply. I opened my mouth, and closed it again. I couldn't form a coherent enough sentence to reply. After a long, dragged out moment, I released my breath in a gust.

"Will she... Is she a danger to those in this house?"

"Not if she doesn't want to be."

I had so many more questions, that my head was bursting. But, unfortunately, I was interrupted.

"Isabel? The Lady is asking for you."

I froze. I couldn't face her now, not when this secret has just been revealed to me. Emily's smooth expression shifted to one of panic.

"Isabel, listen to me. You have to go in there, and be careful not to act out of the ordinary. Don't look into her eyes, and don't even think about this conversation."

I blinked. What?

"I mean it. She can hear your thoughts, so be careful what you think about."

This new bit of information had me reeling. I was still stunned as Emily pushed me out of the door. I made my way to Katherine's chambers in a state of bewilderment.

I paused outside her door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

"You called for me, signorina?

Her voice came floating from within. "Yes, come in here and help me braid my hair."

I frowned. That was not my job. She had other servants for that.

"What are you waiting for? I haven't got all day!"

"Yes, I'm coming, signorina."

I pushed open the doors, to find Katherine sitting on a chair in front of the dressing mirror, while on her bed, ankles crossed, reading a book, and completely at ease, was the last person I expected to see there.

Damon Salvatore. **(A/N: Ta- Da! There, finally, Damon has decided to grace us with his presence! But it's not much, because he's still... Ok, I'll shut up.)**

Tears sprang to my eyes, and I tried to stop them. What was he doing in her room, on her bed? My fears about Katherine's infidelity were solidifying. It felt like I might have one of my panic episodes now, and there was no Stefan to pull me through now. I decided there was only one thing to do. I mustered up all the dignity I had, and walked in.

He didn't spare me a second glance.

His reaction intensified my pain, but I held my head up, and walked, or moreover, marched, to stand behind Katherine. I was nervous wreck. So many different emotions were washing down my insides; Pain, fury, shock, jealousy, confusion, hopelessness, fear for my life…

"You called, signorina?"

Her reflection in the mirror showed her smiling twistedly, looking at her fingers. "Yes. Braid my hair."

"Yes, signorina."

I stepped closer, and I could feel my own nervousness bounding out of me. I took her hair in my hands, and went to work, while she sat there looking at our reflection in the mirror, the knowing smile still playing on her lips.

My mind kept wandering between everything except for what I was not supposed to think about. But it was not like I had a lot of practice controlling my thoughts. I was sure something slipped out, because now and then her smile would twist even more, and my stomach would contract in fear, my heart rate pounding.

A few moments in silence, and she immediately burst out speaking.

"Damon, let us go for a walk in the woods after this, shall we? I've been cooped up in this house for too long. Let's watch the stars come out," she said, slyly sneaking a look at me. I froze in place. She knew everything.

"Of course, Katherine. Let's go," said Damon, enthusiastically. Hearing his silky voice almost made me bend over with the pain ripping my chest in two. But I could sense something was off in his voice. Something... Wrong.

Katherine jumped up, and sauntered out of the room, leaving back Damon and me. An awkward silence filled the atmosphere for a moment and then he spoke.

"How have you been?"

I stared at him, unable to believe that he had the nerve to talk to me as though nothing happened.

"How are you?" he asked again.

"Not bad." All my pain was vanishing, anger filling it's void.

"Good. I probably should get going."

"Of course. You don't want to keep the "Lady" waiting." Sarcastic Isabel has decided to make a visit.

"Yes, of course. I can't keep Katherine waiting." That was the last straw.

All my restraint went tumbling out the window, as anger dominated my mind. I walked forward without a word, crumpled my palm into a fist, and swung it forward, letting it hit him square in the jaw.

"Oh my God!" He swore.

"Thank you for caring, Damon. Good night." I walked out of the door, leaving a stunned Damon behind.

**A/N: Too much? I liked it. **

**Lotza Luv,**

**MsKayyy.**


	9. Rejection

**A/N: If you haven't noticed, Damon's more and more under the power of compulsion, so he will be more like what Katherine wants him to be. But he can still feel something's not right, even if he doesn't know what that something is.**

**Damon POV**

I was lying on Katherine's bed. I've been accompanying her a lot nowadays. She liked me, we were in love. Nothing else meant as much to me as her smile.

Right?

I still had a nagging feeling at the base of my skull, as though something was wrong. I didn't know, but it felt as though I was betraying someone. Nonsense, I argued with myself. Katherine and I are meant to be together. I was smitten with her, with her golden hair and her lapis lazuli eyes. I was so lucky to have her… Who could I be betraying, after all? Stefan? No, not him. Katherine said that she truly loved only me, and she was barely interested in my little brother.

That maidservant girl? Isabel? Of course, not. She was just a pastime to me. But why did I get the feeling that she was more to me?

"You called, _signorina_?"

I looked up from my book. She was here, Isobel. Why did I feel a tug in my heart every time I saw her?

"Yes. Braid my hair." Katherine replied.

"Yes, _signorina_."

She worked in silence on Katherine's hair, and I turned my attention back to my book. My eyes kept straying to her, every now and then, however. Why was that?

A few moments in silence, and Katherine immediately burst out speaking.

"Damon, let us go for a walk in the woods after this, shall we? I've been cooped up in this house for too long. Let's watch the stars come out,"

"Of course, Katherine. Let's go," I was enthusiastic. I was always happy to spend more time with Katherine. And it would help me clear my head of all these… doubts.

Katherine jumped up, and sauntered out of the room. An awkward silence filled the atmosphere with just me and Isobel. Was I supposed to say anything? I decided to venture out with a harmless enough question.

"How have you been?"

She stared at me as though I was speaking another language.

"How are you?" I repeated.

"Not bad." Alright, that's enough small talk. If I stay in the room any longer, I might… I don't know what. Kiss her? _How can you even think such a thing, Damon Salvatore? You love Katherine, remember?_

"Good. I probably should get going." I made a move towards the door, when she replied.

"Of course. You don't want to keep the "Lady" waiting." She had a sarcastic sting in her voice that I was unfamiliar with.

She was right. "Yes, of course. I can't keep Katherine waiting."

She did not reply, but walked forward with a determined step, swung her arm forward, and her fist collided with my jaw.

"Oh my God!"I blurted out. I could see stars behind my eyes.

"Thank you for caring, Damon. Good night." She walked out, leaving me stunned. Why was my mind feeling upset at seeing her distressed? Why was I feeling a yearning to go after her and comfort her?

Why did her last words hurt me a million times more than her hit did?

**Isabel POV**

God, I needed to get away from here. I needed someone to comfort me. I needed to find Stefan.

I ran to the creek. He would probably be there, daydreaming about Katherine, as usual.

Oh, my. God.

In my distress with Damon, I'd completely forgotten about Stefan, and the whole Katherine- is- a- vampire- and- supernatural- exists thing.

I had to tell Stefan, and he would tell Damon. I wasn't sure if I could talk to Damon with a calm head and walk away from the confrontation without either getting angry or getting hurt again.

And I did find him at the creek. He was finishing off his _Romeo and Juliet _with a deep expression on his face, leaning against a tree trunk.

"Stefan! I have something to tell you." I sat down next to him.

"He looked up and smiled at me. "What is it, Isa?"

I took a deep breath. Now came the hard part. "Okay. I want you to stay calm and listen to everything I say, before responding. Alright?"

"Okay…?" Stefan responded, confused.

"Katherine is a vampire. She is the cause of all the animal attacks in town. She drinks blood, Stefan."

He did not speak for a long moment. He just looked at me.

Finally, after a long time, he replied.

"Who told you that, Isa?"

"I- It doesn't matter. Don't you get it?" I said aloud, frantically begging him to understand.

"He looked at me seriously, and said, "I know."

What? He knew, and didn't tell me? Even after I told him of my suspicions?

"Why didn't you tell me, Stefan? When I told you about my suspicions, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it doesn't matter, Isabel!" He burst out.

"Doesn't matter? Of course it matters! Doesn't it upset you at all, the fact that she kills people, that she is behind all those attacks?"

"No it doesn't. The fact remains that my Katherine" I scoffed at that, but he ignored me, "My Katherine is a gentle soul who is incapable of hurting anyone."

"What? No! She _kills_ people, Stefan!"

"No, she doesn't. She consumes animal blood."

_But Emily had said…_

I was going to argue back, when I remembered my other bit of news.

"Stefan, I am sorry, but I don't know how to put this easily. Katherine is seeing Damon behind your back. I'm sorry, Stefan, but it is true." I said, taking his hands in mine.

"Of course she is not! How could you say such a thing about her, Isa?" He shouted, as he pulled his hands from mine. "I can't believe you, Isa! Giving in to gossip, like the servant that you are! I should have seen it coming."

His words stung, and my vision blurred with unshed tears. "What- no, Stefan! What I say is the truth! I saw-"

He cut me off. "I don't want to hear, Isabel. I don't want to hear your cooked up stories. I see what you are trying to do. Your happiness with my brother is spoilt, and so you'll see to it that everyone's unhappy? That's not fair, Isabel. You are selfish, and you know it."

He'd hurt me with his words. I could feel the tears overflowing, and I was struck speechless by his betrayal.

"The truth, Isabel, is that you will never be anything more than what you are, a servant."

His icy words pierced my heart through. Unable to take anymore, I ran to my room, crying all the way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I was crying for goodness knows how long, when a knock sounded on the door. How did Emily always know when I'm upset?

"Come in, Emily. You don't have to knock." I said, drying my cheeks, and attempting to control my sobs.

The door creaked in, but it wasn't Emily who stepped in. It was Katherine.

"Katherine! I- I mean- _signorina_!" Oops. I was in for it now.

She smiled widely, her child like face glowing. "I thought you knew your manners, Isabel. Hasn't Emily brought you up to be a good lady?"

"I- I-" I stuttered, not knowing what to do.

"You know." It wasn't a question.

I didn't know what to say, so I did a sort of half nod.

"Well, now… when I was changed, I was told of one rule. Can you guess what that was?" She was looking around my room in distaste as she spoke.

"Changed?" I asked, avoiding her voice as much as possible

She smiled wider at me. "Yes, Isabel. Changed. Turned into what I am today. A vampire."

"Oh. Um, no." I answered her previous question.

"It was that I should keep the secret, a secret." She took a small step towards me, and I automatically took a step backwards. My leg collided with something strong and hard. The bed. She had me cornered. She was going to kill me. Well it wasn't like anyone would miss me. Emily, and Stefan- no. Stefan wouldn't miss me, not after today. A fresh bout of tears escaped my closed eyes, and I gave up trying to back up.

"You know my secret, Isabel, and we can't have that. So now, there is only on way out of this. You die."

She lunged towards me, grabbing the back of my head with her right hand, and my shoulder with her left. Despite my resistance, she exposed my neck, ripping the neckline of my dress open at the side. She bent her head towards mine, and I saw her face change. Veins darkened around her eyes, and fangs draped her lips.

My last thought was 'I love you, Damon, despite everything.'.

**A/N: Woohoo! (NOT in the Sims sense) I've finally reached a major point of the story. Hopefully, things will move faster now.**

**You've given me so much of your time and patience, Thank You for that. Please give me 2 minutes more.**

**Please review, just to tell me if I'm doing okay.**

**Lotza Luv,**

**MsKayyy.**


	10. Savior

**A/N: Hello, everyone! You have no idea how busy I am! I've been up till 4, and waking up at 7 every morning for a week now, what with the new house, and my School lab records, and School year coming to an end (School begins in May and closes in November for us Seniors, and the rest of the year is just Model exams model examsmodelexams….. Anyways, Graduation is around the corner! Saying goodbye has been hard. Still have a few autograph books to finish, any creative ideas?**

**Seriously going to miss my classmates!**

**And so, on with our story.**

_**Previously, an "The Story of Us",**_

"_You know my secret, Isabel, and we can't have that. So now, there is only on way out of this. You die." _

_She lunged towards me, grabbing the back of my head with her right hand, and my shoulder with her left. Despite my resistance, she exposed my neck, ripping the neckline of my dress open at the side. She bent her head towards mine, and I saw her face change. Veins darkened around her eyes, and fangs draped her lips. _

_My last thought was 'I love you, Damon, despite everything'._

My last sensation was her fangs piercing my skin, just below the base of my neck, causing immense pain. A fierce blow to my whole body by an invincible force.

And then darkness.

I was numb, unable to feel my own body. I was slipping away to somewhere quiet, peaceful… Somewhere where all this heartache would vanish. Somewhere happy, and it felt so good to just let go and smile…

But before I got there, some invisible force pulled me backwards, back to where I started from. I protested, but I was powerless against this force. It successfully brought me back to the very place I was willing to escape. And yet, I could feel an almost protective, caring aspect of this force, which calmed me down.

I could feel my body now. It hurt. Every bit hurt. Some sort of strange, almost sweet liquid was being forced down my throat, and once I recovered usage of my mouth and throat, I was willingly swallowing more and more of it. It was addictive, almost intoxicating.

"That is enough, my girl," said a voice far above my head. "That's enough; now let's get you away from here."

I felt the lightest wind lifting me above the ground, upon which I was crumpled in a heap.

How did I end up on the floor? What happened?

**Emily POV**

Where was she now? I have to talk to her. Did the Lady find out? Why did she call Isabel?

"Isabel? Where are you, child?" I walked through the corridors of the Servants' chambers. Some of the other aides had said that they had seen her running to her room.

I rounded the corner and walked into the corridor leading off into Isa's room, and immediately stopped short. I could sense it, the power coming off from the direction of her room. It was a familiar sort of power. It was one I would recognize anywhere. It was the Lady.

Oh no.

I sprinted towards Isa's room, my power building within me with each step I took. _Whatever happened to me, I would never let anything happen to Isa. I had promised her that I would take care of her, and I was going to keep my promise._

My power grew more intense with each step, and soon outgrew the maximum limit I had ever achieved. I burst open the door, to find Katherine, fangs bared, leaning over Isa. As I came in, my surging power knocked Katherine and Isabel out.

I rushed to Isabel, ignoring the crumpled heap on the floor that was Katherine.

I could feel her life energy, and it was fading fast; almost gone, in fact. With all that was left in me, I summoned her spirit back into the human world, trying to prevent it from entering the immortal world.

I chanted continuously, and after what seemed like hours, but was only minutes, I could feel the return of her life energy. I quickly levitated Katherine's slumped form towards me and cut her left wrist using the knife I always carried with me, hidden between the folds of my dress. It was my ritual knife, but I couldn't care less right now.

Now came the hard part. I didn't have time to think; I just shoved the bleeding wrist onto Isabel's lips, and let the blood trickle into her open mouth. _I promised you, my child. I would do anything. _Anything.

In a few minutes, under the combined effect of the healing vampire blood, and my pushing energy, Isabel responded. She started swallowing the blood willingly. She was alive, but barely. I did the only thing I could do anymore, and coaxed her wordlessly to keep drinking.

When I was sure I had enough, I pried the wrist away from her mouth, and said to her, "That is enough, my girl, that's enough; now let's get you away from here."

I stood up, tired after spending so much energy. But I couldn't stop now. Using the last bit of magic, I put Katherine to a deep slumber that she will wake up from only when I willed her to. I levitated Isabel into my room, and shut the door behind me.

I barely got her onto the bed, as I registered her life energy draining again, as I slumped to the ground.

**Isabel POV**

I opened my eyes, and realized that I was in Emily's room. The next thing I registered was a not quite unpleasant after taste in my mouth. What had I eaten? Why was I on Emily's bed?

"Emily?" I called out. My quiet voice rang out painfully louder than normal. There was no reply.

It hurt too much to lift my head, even, so I twisted it just a little to peer outside the small window high up on the dirty wall. I could see the stars. It was night time. As I twisted back my head, I caught a slumped figure against the wall.

Emily.

She looked horrible. She looked more aged than I'd ever seen her, and her skin actually looked… dead.

Most of all, there was a small trickle of blood flowing in a neat track, out her nose.

That caught my eye. Blood. That little drop of liquid had captured all my attention. I wanted to go near it, touch it, see what it smelt like…

Taste it.

I shook myself out of my trance. What was wrong wit me?

And then it hit me.

Damon. Stefan.

Katherine.

How was I still alive? Hadn't Katherine tried to kill me? I realized that Emily must have saved me.

With all my efforts pushed into the action, I sat up.

That was when he door burst open.

**A/N: Ha ha-ha! Cliffie! ****Things certainly are getting interesting, aren't they?**

**Thank you to every reviewer who spent 2 minutes to make me happy. I love you guys for your appreciation.**

**Special thanks and a virtual hug to my regular reviewers, MidnightForever17, Isabel'P, LadyElena17, Mimi81, Lilithcase39girl, and so many more! Sorry if I haven't named you, just know that I appreciate all your reviews whether or not your name is mentioned here.**

**Lotza Luv, (I mean it,)**

**MsKayyy.**


	11. Rebirth and Death

**A/N: My school life is officially over forever. I still can't get it in my head. Slam books and Autograph books are flying around. I was too busy filling them to write the next chapter. I'm sooo sorry, guys. Here's an extra long chapter to make up for it.**

_**Previously on The Story Of Us:**_

_How was I still alive? Hadn't Katherine tried to kill me? I realized that Emily must have saved me. _

_With all my efforts pushed into the action, I sat up._

_That was when the door burst open._

"Isabel? Have you seen Emily? I can't-" Mathilde's jolly jabber was interrupted as she burst in, and took in Emily propped on the floor, nose bleeding, and me, sitting on the bed, all in one second.

"Oh, goodness! Emily! Emily, are you alright? Emily!" Mathilde rushed to Emily's side, shaking her by the shoulders in an attempt to wake her up. Seeing that her attempts were futile, she turned to me.

"What happened, Isabel? Why is she-?" Mathilde seemed unable to complete her sentence. I would have answered her, but my attention was solely caught on Mathilde's right hand; the thumb, to be more specific. The ruby streak running down her thumb, and into her palm. I glared at it, feeling the hunger surface within me. She noticed me looking, but was completely oblivious to the poorly suppressed feelings within me.

"It's nothing; I just cut myself while cleaning the venison, that's all. Shouldn't we help Emily? Isabel?" Her voice lowered in volume, and increased in pitch together with each word she said, turning into a squeak at Isabel, just as I stood up, making my first step towards her.

I kept up my saunter forward, paying no attention to her words. All my attention was focused on that little crimson streak running across her palm.

"Isabel? What are you-?" She wasn't able to finish her sentence, as I covered the remaining few feet between us, and took her hand in mine. I raised it so that the cut was at my eye level, and slowly, too slowly, I raised her hand to my lips, taking that tempting drop into my mouth.

And it tasted like heaven. Like a breath of air after staying under water for too long. Like life.

I could feel something shifting inside of me, something changing. Each sip I took changed me, I could feel it.

And the change felt good.

She was over in a few minutes. I wiped off my mouth, attempting to clean the blood smeared over my lips. I felt something stirring behind; actually_ felt_ it in my mind. I turned around faster than human speed, and came face to face with a frightened and wary Emily. It was then that the realization dawned upon me. Surprise, fear, dread… So many emotions popped into my head, virtually out of nowhere. This was such an overwhelming feeling.

"Emily! What-? What has happened to me?" I asked her in horror.

"My dear bambina, you have changed. You are now a vampire."

Utter silence. I could even hear the heart beat from Emily's chest, fast and fluttering. I could also feel an unnaturally slower one, which strangely seemed to come from my own chest.

"Wha-? How? How did this-?" I stuttered.

"I'm sorry, my child," said Emily. Guilt was evident on her face. "When I saw Katherine sucking you dry, I used magic to get her off you, and seeing that you were dying, I had no choice but to make you drink some of Katherine's blood. Vampire blood has healing properties," she added at my momentarily confused face. "I hoped you would heal with the blood."

"Then why am I a…?" I couldn't bring myself to say the word. It was too much. I was one of_ them_. One of Katherine's sort. I was a part of the supernatural world. Moreover, I was a creature of the dark. A condemned soul. I had to walk this earth for eternity. I gulped.

Why was God so cruel? Was there even a God? Why was I condemned to such a fate? Was a lifetime of pain was going to be too much to bear. But an eternity? How was I going to live with myself, and the memories of Stefan, and Emily, and _him_, long after they had passed on? The thought brought tears to my eyes.

Emily was looking at me, understanding all my thoughts. She replied to my question. "You see, my Belle, when you have vampire blood in your system, you heal, faster than a human. But if your situation is so bad that you die any way, you get turned. Or if someone kills you with vampire blood in your system."

"Okay, so basically you die with vampire blood in your system, and you turn into a vampire?"

"Not exactly." She looked guilty again.

"What, Emily?" I was tired of beating around the bush.

"After dying, you drink from a human." Her eyes went to Mathilde's motionless corpse behind me. I finally grasped it.

"Oh my God, I killed someone! I killed Mathilde, Emily! I killed someone! I'm a monster! Oh God!" I was in hysterics. What was wrong with my mind? My emotions were everywhere!

"No, no, Isabel. Listen to me. You are not a monster. You just followed your nature. It is in any creature's nature to fight for its survival. You just did what your instinct told you to. "

"But… Mathilde," I whispered.

"I'm sorry, child," was all Emily had to say.

I sat down on the Bed with my head in my hand. All this was making my head hurt.

"What about Katherine? Where is she?" I said, as it occurred to me.

Emily's eyes widened. "Oh no! She is still in your room. I left her in a deep slumber!"

We rushed to my room, only to find Katherine curled up near the foot of my bed. She appeared to be sleeping.

"Don't worry, Isabel. I'll take her to her chambers, and do a memory charm, to make her forget that you ever found out her secret," Emily said, more to herself, than to me. I've never seen her so worried.

"What do we do with… Mathilde?" I asked, guilt flashing through me again.

Emily looked down as she answered me. "Animal Attack."

I froze at the words. The horror of my past was now the routine of my present. Routine… I gulped.

"Emily? Do I have to kill people every time I… eat?" What else do you call it? I refused to say 'drink'.

"No, child. It's possible to drink without killing. You just have to be careful to compel them, and make them forget afterwards."

"Compel?"

"You can sort of hypnotize them, and make them do anything you want, or make them forget anything."

Vampire abilities.

"Oh."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Katherine was safe in her chamber; Mathilde's body had been deposited in the woods behind the Mansion, in a manner that point suspicion towards Animal attack. I carried Mathilde all the way myself, and I could feel the guilt and shame of what I was burning a hole through my head.

I wasn't close to Mathilde as such, but I still took human life away. It was going to haunt me for eternity.

During the walk towards the woods and back under cover of the night, Emily filled me in with the essentials of a vampire life. She spoke in a daze, and I could see she was still shell shocked. However, I was strangely calm. I supposed it was another one of the many perks of vampire life. I was able to detach myself from all emotions whenever I willed. That was definitely a redeeming quality.

While walking back in, I had to be invited inside. Apparently, vampires couldn't enter a human inhabited building without a direct invitation.

How was I going to go out in sunlight? Emily could charm a ring, I supposed. But getting a ring made was going to take a few days. Till then?

The question ringing in my head was _what now?_ I couldn't stay here and risk being caught. I couldn't risk killing any of my loved ones. Stefan and Damon may not love me, but I still loved them. And Emily. I made a decision by the time we reached Emily's room.

Emily went straight to her chest at the foot of her bed in which she kept all her clothes. From the bottom, she pulled out a worn and dirty looking drawstring bag made of black cloth. Opening it, she pulled out a ring with a midnight blue stone. It was simple, yet beautiful. Trust Emily to keep a spare.

"Bambina, keep this. It will protect you from the sunlight, keep you from burning." She placed the ring into my palm. I put it on, and heaved a big sigh.

I had to tell her of my decision. "Emily, I'm leaving."

If she was shocked before, words couldn't describe her face now. But I also sensed sadness, and a small trace of acceptance.

"I can't stay here, Emily. I have to leave. I'm a danger to every bleeding finger in the neighborhood, and Katherine will know of my change once she sees me anyway. I- I can't risk getting anyone hurt. Especially not you, Stefan or Damon." My voice cracked at the end. I had to say goodbye to them. It didn't matter so much in Stefan's and Damon's case, because they were broken from me already. But I'd taken a small comfort from the fact that they would be near me, even if not with me. I realized how much that small comfort meant to me, when I was about to lose it.

Emily's face finally showed resignation. I could read her so well. _I don't want you to do this, but I know you don't have a choice._

She went to her trunk again, and this time took out a small dirty pillowcase. She pushed it towards me. Inside was money. All the money she had saved up. My throat closed up, and tears filled in my eyes.

"No, Emily, I can't take this. It is your life's savings."

"And I'm giving them to the person they were going to be given to after my death anyway. I'm giving them to my daughter."

In a flash, I was across the room, and crying onto Emily's shoulder.

We both realized that this was Goodbye. I didn't know if I would ever see her again.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Emily. I don't know how to repay you…"

"Don't talk like that, Isabel. Who else would I do all this for? You are like a daughter to me, my child. I love you." Emily's voice was ragged, and I could see that she was keeping her tears in.

"I love you too, Emily. Thank you for taking care of me all my life. Thank you for being a mother to me. Good bye." I cried as I ran towards my room, packed the little number of clothes I had into a small trunk, and exited my room for the last time.

I made my way down the hallway, when I noticed a shadow down the far end of the corridor, coming from Stefan's room.

Katherine moved quietly through the house, and I thought for a moment that she was after me. I shrank back into the wall as I saw her entering Damon's room. Resisting a strong urge to wake Stefan up and tell him, "I told you so!" to his face, I made my way out. It hurt to see them, the love triangle. All three had been the cause of hurt and sorrow in my life. But I loved two of them. And they didn't love me.

I had wanted to sneak off into their chambers and take a last look at them, but Katherine chucked that plan right out the window. The only thing I could do now was go to the creek, one last time. It wouldn't hurt too much, would it?

XXXXXXXXXX

It was horrible being here. All those memories of sunny afternoons spent here were resurfacing, and I could feel myself slipping into a ball on the ground, crying.

I don't know how long I stayed there, but soon it became light. I had to leave before anyone saw me. I picked myself and my trunk off the ground, and made my way towards the orchard. There was a short cut through there that would take me to the woods, and from there, I could run away to any place I desired. I would never com back to Florence again.

I realized that I was free now. I could go where my heart desired. I could go around the world, see all the cities and wonders. I fervently hoped they were interesting enough to distract me from the pain.

As I reached the orchard, I saw two figures. What were they doing up so early? Stefan and Damon both were of the habit of sleeping in. It was too early for them to wake up. Also, there was this acrid smell that became evident with each step I took. It seemed to be the smell of some sort of burned fat. It was truly revolting.

They were calling out for Katherine. Another piece of my heart fell out, as I heard Damon calling out Katherine's name.

I could see them walking towards the lemon tree from where I now realized the smell originated. I slowly followed them without their notice.

There, on the other side of the tree was a white dress. Such a familiar dress. One that's washed a good number of times. Katherine's dress.

And Katherine wasn't in it.

The dress was full of ashes.

Oh my God. _What has she done?_

I saw Stefan pick up a piece of parchment from near the dress, and saw Damon walk towards Stefan.

Stefan read the note aloud.

"I have been selfish, wanting to have both of you. I can't bear to be the cause of strife between two brothers. I hope that once I am gone you would no longer hate each other. I did it to bring you together. I love you both."

They were both mad. In no time, they started fighting. I so desperately wanted to go stop them, but I knew that there was no way they would listen to me. And there wasn't anything I could do. There was no way I could stop what happened next.

The fight grew into a sword match. Both of my loved ones duelled on to kill, and all I could do was cry from the shadows.

And then, finally, Damon gained the upper hand. In his frenzy, he pushed the sword into Stefan's chest. My heart froze at the scene of brother killing brother. Stefan fell to the ground, and Damon kneeled beside him, taking a look at the damage.

With all the strength left in him, Stefan lifted his sword and pushed it deep into Damon's heart.

And just like that, my two best friends died.

**A/N: There. A long and very eventful chapter to make up for the long period of absence. Any comment, review, and constructive criticism are appreciated. I've spent a few continuous hours to finish this chapter, so please spare two minutes of your time, and review!**

**Lotza Luv,**

**MsKayyy.**


	12. Goodbye

**A/N: It's a short one, but I've given you what I can, with my limited time, and in the middle of the exams.**

_**Previously on The Story of Us:**_

_The fight grew into a sword match. Both of my loved ones duelled on to kill, and all I could do was cry from the shadows._

_And then, finally, Damon gained the upper hand. In his frenzy, he pushed the sword into Stefan's chest. My heart froze at the scene of brother killing brother. Stefan fell to the ground, and Damon kneeled beside him, taking a look at the damage._

_With all the strength left in him, Stefan lifted his sword and pushed it deep into Damon's heart._

_And just like that, my two best friends died._

**Now:**

Two of the three most, three _only _important people in my world are dead. They were killed right before my eyes. By each other. Brothers.

I was so upset that I barely walked away from the spot by the time someone came and found the bodies. I could faintly register the screams from the house- the servants and their father shouting. I ran; away from the corpses of my love and my best friend, away from the sorrow and the shock, away from the madness. I made it to the forest, and leant on a tree, sinking to the ground, crying.

XXXXXXXXXXX

I cried till my tears stopped flowing, which took a considerably long time. I had wanted to say goodbye to them before I left, and now, even that was snatched away from me by Katherine. I felt sorry for her, she'd wanted to keep the brothers together, and tried to achieve that by committing suicide. Even if her first intentions were wrong, this was what I wanted for the brothers too. Unfortunately for her, it was all futile. They lived fighting, and now, they'd died fighting.

I'd written them a letter each to say goodbye from the brook side, and I was going to give it to Emily to place it upon their beds. Now, I couldn't even say goodbye. I took them out and read them over, one last time.

_My dear Damon,_

_I am sorry, for everything. I know you did not see me and us as anything serious. I was just a way to while away your time. But just confer this favour on me; just give me two moments, and read this letter. I am sure, you would at least give me that, for the sake of whatever it was that we had._

_I am not writing this letter to blame you for anything, Damon. No, far from that. I want to thank you for those wonderful two weeks of my life. Thank you for giving me that much. I may not have meant much to you, but you were my first kiss, my first joy in this forsaken world, my first friend, my first and last love._

_I have one request to ask of you. Please stop fighting with your brother. I can't stand to see my two best friends fighting._

_My love, this letter is a goodbye. I am leaving this place, where there is too much pain. I am so tired of being haunted by memories. I can find no more happiness here, and so I have decided to leave._

_I don't have to forsake you from trying to find me, because I know that you won't bother. But if, by some miracle, you ever felt an ounce of affection for me, if not as a lover, then at least as you once best friend, then don't come looking for me_

_Remember me as your friend, at the least, Damon._

_Goodbye, my love._

_Always yours, in life and in death,_

_Isabel DeSanctis._

I moved on to Stefan's letter:

_Dearest Stefan,_

_I will be gone by the time you read this. Don't come looking for me. I am so tired of being in this God- forsaken town, and all the memories of the three of us it holds, that I have to leave. _

_It broke my heart when you didn't believe me, Stefan. But what sort of a friend would I be if I don't forgive you? I still stand by what I said before, Stefan, and you know what I say is true. I don't care if you disagree._

_Please don't fight with Damon anymore on my account. I can't stand to see my two best friends fighting. Yes, Stefan, before he became my love, he was my best friend, as are you._

_I love you, Stefan. You were there for me when I was the most alone in this world. You were there for me when I needed a brother the most. Thank you for showing that grace to a mere servant girl._

_This is not just an apology, but a Goodbye as well, Stefan. I will have left Florence by the time you wake up. I beg of you, please don't come looking for me. I am hoping you will respect my wishes and stay away, but know that it truly pains me to leave, and it is but a necessity._

_Remember me now and then. Please don't forget that you once had a friend called Isabel._

_All my love, _

_Your Best Friend,_

_Isabel DeSanctis._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I waited till it was night, and slowly crept past the gates of the church. Stefan and Damon's bodies had been found by the hysterical servants, and their stunned father, and within minutes, a funeral was arranged. They had been laid to rest in the Salvatore family tomb, side by side. I could only watch from a distance. I could have gone, but even if I was not a vampire, servants were not allowed to attend the burials of indirect masters.

Katherine's absence was well speculated, and rumours flew around like wildfire. All her servants, including Emily, were packing to leave on short notice, as they could not stay in the house without their mistress. They had decided to wait another day hoping she would come back, except for Katherine's personal maid Gudren, who seemed suspiciously unaffected by Katherine's absence.

Once it was night, and the last of the grieving people had escaped the walls of the graveyard, I slowly crept in, not attracting any attention to myself. I went to the Salvatore tomb, and faced the freshly covered earth, and laid my letters on the tombstone.

"I'm sorry," I said, one last time. And I stepped into the night, and into my future, leaving my leaving my past behind me, but taking it's memories with me. I made my way to where I'd stashed my trunks, and I left Florence, forever.

**A/N: Thank you to all those who read and reviewed, and added me to their favorite and alert lists. Compared to the number of alerts and the number of hits in general, I'm sad to say the number of reviews is measly. Please review. I am not going to update till I get 47- 50 reviews. You have been warned!**

**On a lighter note, my story is half over! Next half takes place in present time, i.e. the timeline of the books. To know exactly when, keep reading! And if you've read my AN till here, please add "strawberry shortcake" to your review. Yum, strawberry shortcake!**

**Lotza Luv, **

**MsKayyy.**


	13. Cold Ones

**A/N: I am a girl of my words! Here you are! Thank you to**

**RosesareREDandsoisBLOOD****, ****.laughing****, ****Millymollymanda****, ****TheJadePhoenix****, ****Lilithcase39girl****, ****Dramaqueen11141****, ****VDtwifan aka Kiki-rain****, ****MaisaMcginty****, and mainly ****Alaee301**** (Thnx for accepting my request!)**

**Oh, and IMPORTANT: There is a huge time shift in this story. *wink wink***

_**Previously, on The Story Of Us:**_

"_I'm sorry," I said, one last time. And I stepped into the night, and into my future, leaving my leaving my past behind me, but taking it's memories with me. I made my way to where I'd stashed my trunks, and I left Florence, forever._

_**Now:**_

I ran through the thick forest, through the greenery, towards my new temporary abode. This was a new place. I'd never been to Washington before. Then again, I was new to the New World. I'd ventured into Africa, and spent most of my years in Asia and Europe, even made it to Australia for a few decades. I don't know why, but I never came to the Americas. Or as they call it, USA.

It wasn't by accident that I chose Washington, though. Like I'd promised myself, I'd watched over Emily's bloodline through the centuries. Her descendant, who used to live in India, had decided to move to Washington, to his mother's hometown twenty years ago. It'd been a while since I saw him, so I decided to pay him a visit. Only, I wasn't that comfortable with airplanes, so I decided to run, swim, fly… whatever it took me to get here.

Emily had told her children about me. And they'd told their children, and them, theirs… and on and on and on. I was a sort of a private legend in this family. And of course, they knew about the supernatural world, as they were all magic themselves. At least the females were. Magic was a sex- chromosome linked trait, apparently. Imagine calling a man a witch anyway. Huh.

I was always welcome at Emily's descendants' homes. And who would have known, her descendants are so spread out over the world, there were some in every continent.

This descendant of Emily who'd moved here… Charlie Swan. I was going to live in his home, pretending to be his daughter. What else did I have to do? I had all of eternity ahead of me. Might as well try out life in all shapes and sizes. So, I was going to be the only daughter of a divorced cop, at least which was our story. He had so much of Emily in him… When I met him in India twenty five years ago, we knew instantly who the other was. We just knew.

There wasn't a day that didn't go by without me thinking of Emily. Or Stefan. Or Damon. _Okay, Bella. You'd promised yourself you wouldn't go there_, I chided myself. But I couldn't help it.

Oh, yes. I've took to calling myself Bella. It was what _he_ called me, when we were alive. It was the only piece of him I'd allowed myself to take with me. I was Isabella DeSanctis now, not Isabel. Of course, DeSanctis came on and off as situation required. But Bella always stuck.

Five hundred years. Five hundred years of immortality. And there still wasn't one person I was attached to as much as I was to those three. I didn't even know if I'd meet them in an afterlife, because, heck, I didn't know if there _was _an afterlife for a vampire.

Thinking back to my first few years, I smiled. Those were the years when I figured out what fun was. After leaving Florence, I'd gone to Venice, my hometown. Then, the world. Paris. Rome. London. Slowly moving on to Asia. China. India. Russia. Such different cultures and languages and customs! God, the world was such a different place in the fifteenth century.

_But then again, aren't you glad you lived to see the twenty first century?_ Yeah, I talk to myself. Five centuries of loneliness does that to you.

In answer to the question, though, _yes!_ This was a world worth living in. The invention of technology- just wow. I honestly have no idea how I survived all those years without an iPod!

Technology was one thing. Another was how naïve I was in my first few years. I'd decided on only drinking animal blood. Ha! As if that was going to work! I enjoyed Human too much for the taste of Animal. Plus, I was a hundred times stronger, with my powers. My telepathy, my ability to change the weather, my Influence, my Shape shifting, my Flying… I owed it all to Human blood. Not that I killed, no… that was a rare event. In fact, I'm proud to say I'd only killed less than ten in all my years. Including Mathilde.

I was one of the most powerful non-Original vampires in existence, or so they said. Few were as powerful as me. But I kept away from the supernatural world as much as possible. Unless necessary, of course.

You see, I'd taken up two things, as a hobby, if you will. One was, of course, expanding my powers. Two was to study more and more about the supernatural world. Apparently, my curiosity had increased with my changing.

I still couldn't believe that I'd hated what I was once. Like I said, naïve. How could I hate this… this raw power?

I'd changed so much physically, as well. I was fluent in so many languages, that it quite easy to hide my Italian accent, and speak like a "teenager". _ How'ya doin' man? 'Sup, dude? _Okay, maybe I should lay off the slangs for a while.

I'd also changed my looks frequently. This was a necessity, more than a trend, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Back when wigs were the trend, I used to go blonde for a while. Now that the blessed hair color has been invented, I decided to hit it closer to home, and go for a deep brown, rather than my natural ebony black. And contacts… My blue eyes were now a deep chocolate brown.

My musings were put to an end, as I reached the edge of the forest, indicating that Charlie's house was not far away. A few seconds later, I was in front of Charlie's house, a quaint two- bedroom building.

I stepped onto the porch, and knocked. A tall, quite well built man opened the door, and seeing me, smiled widely.

"Bella! You're here!"

"Hey Charlie," I said, smiling. "Going to invite me in?"

XXXXXXXXXX

_Cold ones! _Here in Forks of all places? I was shocked, but I was also sure. Pale skin, not eating, statuesque, unnaturally beautiful, but most intriguingly, _golden eyes_... I'd never in my wildest dreams expected to run into a Cold One in Forks, never mind five! In a school cafeteria, of all places! And golden eyes, all except for one. His were the regular black I'd grown used to with the cold ones. Hm. Must have been a while since the boy fed. I had to know more about them. Who were they?

"Who are _they_?" I asked the girl from my Spanish class, whose name I'd forgotten. Jessie, was it?

"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." Oh my God.

The famous Cullen clan. The vegetarian coven headed by Carlisle Cullen, that had made themselves quite a reputation without them knowing it. I remember hearing whispers of them when I'd gone to Volterra. The Volturi were leaders and rulers of the world wide Cold Ones, who were actually subordinate to the Originals of my race. Almost all Cold Ones were in the dark about other species of vampires existing, and it was the duty of the Volturi to keep up that veil, and to keep Cold Ones hidden from humans. Unfortunately, the spelled rings did not work on Col Ones. I'd been so shocked when I found out. They glittered in the sunlight. Glittered. Wow. Faerie much?

The Volturi had been impressed by stories of my power and had invited me to stay with them for a while. But I'd figured soon enough that a life confined in the castle was not for me, and their methods were too gory for my liking. I'd left.

But the Cullen Clan! I had to know more about them. Their lifestyle was utterly fascinating. The supernatural scholar in me was awakening once more.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hello," said a quiet, musical voice.

I looked up, startled. The bronze haired Cullen, the one who'd been absent all week, after that disastrous episode in my first Biology class, was talking to me. This was going to be easy.

"My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan."

Ha. Like a fly to a web.

Like I said, easy...

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

I knew I should not reveal my true nature to Edward, so I put up the charade of Bella Swan every day. He was an easy person to read. Five minutes into out first conversation, I already knew he was a mind- reader. Too bad he couldn't read mine. I was blocking him, of course.

I was standing by the back corner of the truck, when I heard that sound.

It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. I looked up, startled.

Edward Cullen was standing four cars down from me, staring at me in horror. His face stood out from a sea of faces, all frozen in the same mask of shock. But of more immediate importance was the dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck, and I was standing between them._ What should I do? Save myself, and reveal my secret to the world, and get condemned by the Originals, or keep my secret, and get into a simple human accident that I'd survive without a scratch? _The choice was so difficult. Note the sarcasm.

Edward saved me of course. Ever the gentleman, that boy was. I had wanted him to admit what he was to me, but ever the stubborn little boy, he wouldn't. We had an argument that day. He tried to pretend that he hadn't flitted across the plot towards me with his vampire speed, when I'd seen him doing just that. Pshh. Youngsters. _Well, boy, if you're stubborn, don't even ask what I am._

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Then there are the stories about the _cold ones_." His voice dropped a little lower.

"The cold ones?" I asked, not faking my intrigue now.

Jacob Black and I were walking on the LaPush beach. I'd Influenced him to think he knew me from childhood, and now he was telling me legends of his tribe. I am nothing, if not thorough in my research, after all.

"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them..."

Ah _ha!_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

I was being herded.

_How humiliating._

I turned then and darted to the other side of the road. I saw the dark alley, and I was thirsty, anyway.

"There you are!" The booming voice of the stocky, dark-haired man shrieked.

"Yeah," a voice called loudly from behind me. "We just took a little detour."

Okay, now, I was angry. No one likes it when Isabella DeSanctis is angry.

"Stay away from me," I warned.

"Don't be like that, sugar," he called, and the raucous laughter started again behind me.

I braced myself. I was not pretty when I was angry, and I could feel the fangs sinking down from my gums. My eyes started to itch slightly, and I knew they would be surrounded by veins.

Headlights suddenly flew around the corner, the car almost hitting the stocky one, forcing him to jump back toward the sidewalk. Crap. Edward's here.

There goes my meal.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen," he answered promptly.

"And how long have you been seventeen?"

His lips twitched as he stared at the road. "A while," he admitted at last.

Like I said. No one is as stubborn as Isabella DeSanctis.

**A/N: It's not much, but I really wanted to put up a chapter for you guys. You did keep your part of the deal, after all. Let's try for 65? Hey, a girl can hope, right? And mention "apple wine" in your review, so that I know if you guys are reading my long and boring ANs.**

**Lotza Luv,**

**MsKayyy.**


	14. Free Bird

**A/N: Okay, I realize that the last chapter was not that worthwhile for it to get a lot of reviews, and I decided to upload the next chapter. Enjoy.**

_**Previously on The Story Of Us:**_

_"How old are you?"_

_"Seventeen," he answered promptly._

_"And how long have you been seventeen?"_

_His lips twitched as he stared at the road. "A while," he admitted at last._

_Like I said. No one is as stubborn as Isabella DeSanctis._

_**Now:**_

"Okay." I smiled, pleased at my progress.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the week passed by in a similar manner, except now, he was questioning me too. Of course, he was completely ignorant of my true nature; all he asked was about my supposed seventeen year existence. I found myself longing for the conversation; he made me feel human again. He brought back so many human memories, my life, my world, my Damon. I found myself craving those nostalgic moments. In spite of myself, I felt drawn to Edward, just because he brought my past back to me, and it was like a drug to me. After five hundred years of emotional detachment, this was like a whole new experience. It made me happy, and with each moment, I grew addicted to that happiness.

Perhaps Edward saw us as something more, in a romantic sense. Initially, I tried to discourage him, because how much ever I enjoyed this opening up of my mind, I was still not ready for that level of attachment and commitment. And in any case, glitter- faeries were so not my type.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With Saturday came a new level in our strange relationship. He took me to his meadow- a place he told me he went to every time the world tended to be too raucous. He showed me his sunlit form, and we sat talking all day. He asked me why I was afraid, despite the obvious reason.

"I was afraid… because, for, well, obvious reasons, I can't _stay _with you. And I'm afraid that I'd like to stay with you, much more than I should." I replied cryptically. I did not want to give him false hope of there ever being a future for us, and I tried to hint that I didn't want to be with him, but every single time, it came out wrong.

He explained that my blood sang to him. That was but an illusion I created after that first afternoon in the cafeteria, to keep him interested. Unfortunately for him, he fell for it bad.

"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…"

Apparently, he considered us romantically involved, and I was selfish enough to hold on to my humanity, that I played along.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He stayed the night. More like he imposed himself on me, without giving me a choice. Hm. We talked for a long time, and finally, I gave in to sleep, after depriving myself of sleep for days, I was exhausted, even for a vampire.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, he took me to meet his family. Finally, the whole point of this charade. I met with the famous Cullens, and they took to my travesty as easily as Edward had. I was able to hide any remote thing that pointed suspicion towards me being a vampire, like any visions Alice might have of me behaving unnaturally. The only person who was at least a bit suspicious was Rosalie, and she showed it in her scepticism. Edward told me of Carlisle's history, and I was surprised that the oldest member of their coven was younger than me.

That evening, he took me to his family's baseball game. Oh, how I itched to go play with them! But I was condemned to this stupid human charade.

But then, everything changed. We were visited by some of his kind. Not just any, but James' coven.

Ah, James. He always seemed to get into a fight with me every time we met. He was one of the only vampires apart from the Volturi who knew of my kind. Not even the rest of his coven knew.

The moment we saw each other, we knew it was back on. Edward excused us out of there, and tried to flee with me cross country, but I put forth a better proposition- escaping to phoenix with Alice and Jasper. I knew it was easy to give them the slip, and I could put an end to the Cat and Mouse chase I had going on with James.

But when do things ever go according to plan? Edward interrupted, "saved" me from the evil vampire who wanted to drink my blood, and put me in a hospital. I could have healed by myself, but… You know charades.

The next few months were a happy blur. And then came my "eighteenth birthday", where I underwent a stupid accident, and got a paper cut. Jasper, the empath, was affected by the hunger of all vampires in that room, including mine. I hadn't fed for a few days, as I was always around Edward or Alice or any other Cullen.

Edward switched to his brooding for the next few days, and fear was building in me, along with depression. I had a feeling he was leaving Forks soon, and my premonitions were usually trustable, as they stemmed from my powers. Well, if he was going to leave, I'll move with him. It wasn't like I had a stable home anyway. I was a free bird, and if one path cut off, there was always another. I hadn't grown attached to him, but I certainly had grown attached to my human side. Edward had brought it out of its hibernation, once I had a taste, I couldn't get enough of that elixir.

A week from my birthday, Edward took me into the forest, a few feet away from Charlie's house.

"Come for a walk with me." Those words triggered some memory that I repressed a long time ago, but kept it from surfacing again, concentrating on his every word.

"Bella, we're leaving."

I took a deep breath. This was an acceptable option. I thought I was prepared. But I still had to ask.

"Why now? Another year—"

"Bella, it's time. How much longer could we stay in Forks, after all? Carlisle can barely pass for thirty, and he's claiming thirty-three now. We'd have to start over soon regardless."

"Okay," I said. "I'll come with you."

"You can't, Bella. Where we're going… It's not the right place for you."

"Where you are is the right place for me." I was so addicted to his presence, that where he was, was where I should be.

"I'm no good for you, Bella."

"Don't be ridiculous." I wanted to sound angry, but it just sounded like I was begging. "You're the very best part of my life."

"My world is not for you," he said grimly.

"What happened with Jasper—that was nothing, Edward! Nothing!" I had to tell him. _Tell him, Bella! Tell him you're a vampire!_

"You're right," he agreed. "It was exactly what was to be expected."

I argued, I begged, I threatened, but to no avail. Finally, frustrated, he blurted the words out.

"Bella, I don't want you to come with me."

All the repressed memories flashed in front of my eyes again, and I reliving them, as though they happened yesterday.

_I don't love you._

_You were just a pastime._

_It was fun while it lasted, _Cara_. But I'm sorry that it was not true. _

_I needed a distraction._

Please… Don't do this.

_I already did, Cara._

Damon… Gone…

I did not know what I said or did in the next few hours, but the next thing I remember was the warm hands of a man around me, carrying my out of the forest.

I could feel my lips forming the words automatically.

_He's gone._

The nightmarish night all over again. Looking back, I think I was feverish and delusional. I kept seeing the night five hundred years ago in front of my eyes, and the reality was more of a dream to me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Months. It took me months to get over Damon all over again. Vampire emotions were amplified a hundred times, after all. And my recent tryst with my humanity left me weak and vulnerable. The little logical side of my mind was reasoning everything, finding out the causes of all this mixed bag of emotions poured over me, while the rest of my mind, the majority, was lost in the sorrow.

The scars of his love were reopened, and they refused to heal for months.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Charlie, even if we were related by nothing more than a promise, took care of me. He was my Emily.

And Jacob. He was the only one who could at least stitch those wounds back up. He was my substitute Stefan. Oh God, it hurt so much to think about him… I thought it hurt before, but I was not… human then. Once I embraced my emotions, however…

And then, even he left me. Just like Stefan. I should have seen it coming. All everyone did was walk out on me.

I knew what his problem was. He was a werewolf. At least, he thought he was. He was a shape- shifter. And he thought it was too dangerous for me to be in his affinity. So he left me too.

I was so tired of being left behind. I didn't have a life to go back to, after everyone left.

_Get a grip, Bella. Are you crying because of some stupid boys?_

I... Maybe. What is it to you, anyway?

_I am _you, _love! Your lack of self esteem means my lack of self esteem._

So… What should I do?

_You're a vampire, love. You're above all this. Do what you do best._

And what's that?

_Move on._

My mental monologue made me realize one thing. I needed to get away from Forks. This wretched place was the reason for all the pain.

Where to?

I am a free bird, after all. I had no nest. I could move to anywhere I wanted to.

I decided to travel through the country, exploring the new world.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the next few months, I saw a lot of America. I bought a car with the money that I had accumulated over the centuries. I was tired of the artificial styles of my hair and eyes, so I decided it was time I went natural for a while. My gorgeous black hair and blue eyes were back. I went shopping in New York, Hiking in Colorado, Swimming in the beaches of California. It was only as I approached Virginia that I felt it. Presence of some strong power, no, multiple powers. I'd never seen such a power radiating town in my life.

Without a second thought, the supernatural scholar in me took over, and I was making my way in the direction of the beckoning power. If I was lucky, I would find one of those rare heavily lay- lined towns. If I was lucky.

I made my way into the town, but the pull seemed to be coming from the other side of the town. I drove through the town, excitement fuelling my driving speed.

Finally, I pin-pointed the exact source of all the power. It was such a blast of energy hitting me in the face. I was straight headed enough to hide my power, so that they, whoever "they" were, wouldn't detect my arrival. Just in case they were hostile.

It was a large house, with three floors. A well tended flower garden and an herb garden adorned the front yard. I loved the adrenaline pumping through me, as I made my way through the garden. It was such a refreshing change to the sorrow and indifference that seemed to define my emotions nowadays.

With a confident stride, I made it to the door, and knocked. I could feel the emotions of whoever was inside. They were wary and tensed.

And the door opened to reveal someone who I never expected to ever see in this life.

In front of me stood Stefan, with those familiar green eyes, brown wavy hair, handsome features, and a shocked expression.

"Isa!"

**A/N: Cliff hanger! Okay, I've given you a substantial chapter, with a lot of suspense, so now do me a favor and review. This time, I mean it. If the review count does not reach 75- 80, I don't upload the next chapter.**

**Lotza Luv (Whether you believe it or not),**

**MsKayyy.**


	15. AN

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**This is important. Please DO NOT SKIP.**

**I have decided to rewrite chapter 15 and 16, i.e. Home and Five Hundred Years. Please bear with me. I realised if I carry on as it is, the plot is a huge BLANK in my mind. I got a better plot this way.**

**So, Isabel knocks on the door, to find Stefan.**

**"Isa!"**

**That's where we left off.**

**Thanks, guys!**


	16. Home

**A/N: THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN EDITTED, AND THE PLOT IS CHANGED DRASTICALLY. PLEASE READ AGAIN! THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!**

**Sorry guys, but the way I was going, I saw nothing ahead of me but a huge writer's block. I've got a better idea of where I'm going with this revised plot.**

_**Previously on The Story Of Us:**_

_With a confident stride, I made it to the door, and knocked. I could feel the emotions of whoever was inside. They were wary and tensed._

_And the door opened to reveal someone who I never expected to ever see in this life._

_In front of me stood Stefan, with those familiar green eyes, brown wavy hair, handsome features, and a shocked expression._

"_Isa!"_

_**Now:**_

All I could do was stare. My mind went blank, free of thoughts the instant I saw him. This was probably some kind of twisted way of my mind in the wish- fulfillment department. I mean, I have been thinking about him a lot lately, and wishing all this never happened. Maybe my minds just showing me what I've always wanted to see. Maybe I've finally lost my marbles.

_Or maybe, _a tiny voice, the nagging one, whispered at the back of my head, _maybe, he is real._

Whaa?

Stefan. Stefan? Stefan! _Stefan!_

"Ste- fan?" My voice came out broken and husky.

"Oh, God, Isa! It- You- Oh!"

My mind was so far gone that I'd lost control of my limbs. I couldn't move from my position. He didn't move either. Why didn't he move? Was he still mad at me? After all this time…? We were probably looking really stupid to a third person watching. All we did was stand at the door and... gape.

Until we were interrupted by a blonde girl, moving to Stefan's side possessively from inside the house, and a red head, bubbling with energy and curiosity. I could feel the power radiating from all three of them.

Then I noticed the blonde's face. Oh, no way. No way in hell. Lapis lazuli eyes, silver blonde hair, full lips. Katherine.

Okay, now I know this was a dream.

"Stefan, who is this?" said Katherine suspiciously. Why did she ask that? Did she forget the girl she had tried to kill? Or was Emily's spell so strong that she forgot all about me?

Wait a second. _Just wait one second. _Katherine was dead. I saw the ashes with my own eyes, as well as the letter she left for the brothers.

If she was dead, _who was this?_

Was Katherine really dead? Was it all a ruse? What was happening right now?

Oh God, I was so confused.

Stefan did not reply, but kept looking at me for a long time.

Finally, after a long silence, he said, "This is Isabel DeSanctis, my best friend."

That was all it took. He had forgiven me, and I'd forgiven him. We both rushed towards each other, and I was locked in his embrace. And it was like coming home.

Five hundred years of being a homeless travelling bird, passing through and never staying, and finally, I was home.

I broke free of his embrace, to look up at him, and whispered, "I missed you, Stefan."

He smiled, and said, "I missed you more, Isa."

I missed his smiles and his special way of calling my name. I missed his hugs and the comfort of them.

I smiled back as I pulled away, albeit reluctantly.

**Stefan POV**

"I- how?" I asked as she pulled away, still keeping her arms around me.

"Is that even a question?" she raised her eyebrows at me, such a familiar and endearing gesture.

"I know, but who?"

"You have a lot to explain too, so why don't we go in?" she said, eyeing Elena and Bonnie who were standing behind me, with confusion and wariness. Oh dear. I forgot. Elena must seem like Katherine to her.

"Alright." I stepped aside to let her in, but she didn't enter. Oh, I forgot again. A human had to invite her in.

"You may come in, dear," said Mrs. Flowers from behind me. Isa stepped in, and I couldn't resist hugging her again. Arm in arm, we made it to the couch, as Elena, whose jealousy was very evident, and Bonnie, whose curiosity was bursting its bounds, as well as Mrs. Flowers, smiling and calm, followed us.

"Where were you all these years?" I asked Isa.

"Oh, here and there. Travelling the world," she replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. "What about you?"

"Me too, although I stuck to Europe for the most part. But I couldn't stay anywhere too long, because Damon would threaten me to- Isa?" She had frozen at the mention of Damon. She didn't know._ Way to go, you dolt._

"Dam- Damon?" she stuttered. I did not want to get into the topic. Whatever he did to me, he was always, first and foremost my brother. And it hurt to think of him. I'd lost my only family. The pain of his death was still looming over us, even after months.

"How rude of me. I haven't made proper introductions. Isa, this is Elena Gilbert, my girlfriend, and Bonnie McCullough, our friend." If she caught my sad attempt at changing the subject, she didn't show it.

Isa's eyebrows rose when I introduced Elena, and looked to me for an explanation.

"She looks like Katherine, but that's where the similarity ends," I said, and explained how I met Elena, and all about what happened to Fell's Church in consequence.

She looked at me blankly in the end. "So, what you're basically saying is," she said, "that you ended up dating someone who looked exactly like Katherine?"

"Uh, yes?"

She cracked a smile. "Nice, Stefan."

"So tell me your story. How did you change?"

She told me all about Emily, Katherine and how she was changed. She continued about how she saw us killing each other, and the pain in her eyes was so acute, I hugged her to my chest again. I could see how difficult it was for her to relive horrible experiences. And a small part of me needed comfort too.

Each memory she brought up was eliciting in me a sadness that I thought was long dead. Sorrow because I lost my two best friends, Isa and Damon, the night I was turned. Isa went away, and Damon… Well, he was never the old Damon ever again.

She then told us about her journey across the world, meeting Emily's descendants, researching about the supernatural.

"… And then from India, I came to the New World, to Washington, a small town called Forks, where one of Emily's descendants, Charlie, is living. I… stayed with him for a while, and then… decided to travel again." I frowned at her blurted out sentence.

Even after all these years, I knew Isa like the back of my hand, and I knew it when she was keeping something important from me. Like she was doing right now.

"Isa…"

She gave a resigned sigh. "Yes…?"

"What are you leaving out?"

"I- Nothing!" Her eyes did not meet mine as she exclaimed.

"Uh huh. Okay. I believe you."

She smiled sadly. "You always could tell when I was keeping something, Stefan."

I realized what she was referring to- how I'd made her tell me what she knew about Katherine. But going down memory lane was too sad for me right now.

Apparently, she realized it too. She smiled, discarding the matter for now.

"So, what about you? What's your story?" she asked me.

"Well, after turning, we both ran away, away from Florence, and from Italy," I said, remembering the first few days of my eternity. "I left to see the world, mostly Europe…"

"And… Damon?" I could hear the hurt in her voice. Oh, Isa… Even after all this time…

I couldn't meet her eyes as I replied, "For a while he joined one of the Free Companies."

She winced. She must have known them too. I proceeded to relate to her all that had happened to me after I last saw her, including all that had happened in Fell's Church, up until how they visited the Dark Dimension. There, I hesitated.

"What happened, Stefan?"

She had a good sense of premonition, good enough to know that what I was going to say next was not good news.

I couldn't reply. I couldn't do that to Isa. She would be broken. Worse than when he left her. I could see that all the centuries had hardened her, and she had embraced her vampire life to the full, meaning that she'd shut off all her emotions and conscience, for a long while, at least. I just couldn't let Isa break again.

Elena spoke up for the first time since Isa was here. "Well, we found the star ball on a tree, and Bonnie lunged for it, but Damon intercepted and threw her off. But he fell into the tree." Elena sniffled at this, looking at me for comfort. I didn't move. Isa needed me more at the moment. Elena frowned at this.

Bonnie was staring out the window. She was feeling guilty, the way Elena said it. I could sense her emotions. As though suddenly realising that I was probing her mind, she put her shield up.

Elena continued, as though that moment hadn't happened. "He was- he was staked through the heart. He died…" Elena was crying now. Bonnie got up, and walked away from the room. I looked at Isa, trying to gauge her expressions while keeping mine in control.

She sat there, looking at Elena, staring as though Elena had spoken some other language. For a long time, the only sounds were from Elena on the couch, Bonnie, upstairs on her bed, both crying their hearts out. Finally, Isa spoke.

"Died?" Her voice was deadly calm. She looked at me for confirmation, and I looked down, still avoiding her eyes. Because I knew. I knew that if I looked into her eyes, I would see the pain she'd hidden from her voice. And she would see mine.

"Oh."

I felt truly sorry for her. Five centuries apart, and when she'd gotten a chance to reunite, she'd missed him by months. _Months._

Elena proceeded to tell her about what happened after that, the Wings of Destruction, Sage's help, the Celestial Court, how they'd granted the return of normalcy to the little town, with one exception. Damon wouldn't be back.

Isa sat through it quietly and unresponsively. She seemed to be half listening, and half lost somewhere else.

"Isa? Are you alright?" I asked tentatively.

"I am going to see Sage."

**A/N: I am soooo sorry, guys! But the way I was going, I knew I wouldn't get anywhere. I got a better plot after I thought for a while, so the chapters 15 and 16 are redone. Thank you for bearing with me!**

**Lotza Luv,**

**MsKayyy.**


	17. Realisation

**A/N: Hellooooooo…. I've been away for such a looooong time… I'm so sorry, I've had exams, and I was supposed to stay away from the computer and "concentrate on studies". But I'm back now, and updating! Please don't kill me because I've forgotten my updated!**

_Elena proceeded to tell her about what happened after that, the Wings of Destruction, Sage's help, the Celestial Court, how they'd granted the return of normalcy to the little town, with one exception. Damon wouldn't be back._

_Isa sat through it quietly and unresponsively. She seemed to be half listening, and half lost somewhere else._

"_Isa? Are you alright?" I asked tentatively._

"_I am going to see Sage."_

**Isabel POV**

Months. I missed him by months. I know it would have been a futile meeting; it wasn't as if I meant anything to him. But he meant everything to me. I'd learnt to force myself to get over him, but after the last few months, old wounds were reopened, and memories of him were all that my mind was occupied with. Maybe meeting him would have been soothing. Maybe it would have done more harm than good, but there was a possibility that it would have somehow helped. Just _maybe…?_

But then, I caught small bits of Elena's monologue, explaining… what happened at the Dark Dimension, somewhere I've been unlucky enough to visit twice in my existence. I remembered my fateful visits to the dreaded and wretched place. I always seemed to come back thanking heavens that I went in there a vampire and not a human.

Suddenly, the link in my brain connected. What my mind had been trying to bring to my attention subconsciously was blatantly made obvious to me.

I heard Stefan say something to me, but I couldn't reply to whatever he'd told me. I was too much filled with the joy of the new ray of hope in my mind, battling the demons of despair with all it's strength, bringing much required confidence to me.

"I am going to see sage," I blurted out.

"Sage? Why? How do you know him?" the Elena girl asked, but I didn't reply. Instead, I walked out to my car, picked up my cell phone lying idly on the passenger seat, and dialed the number I'd learnt by heart in the last few months of my life.

"Charlie Swan, Police chief speaking," said a gruff voice at the other end.

"I need your help," I said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

A day passed. I had decided to spend time alone. Mrs. Flowers offered me a room to board for as long as I liked, which I was grateful for.

I was shocked when Stefan ad told me that Katherine had staged her death in her attempt to get both the brothers to reconcile and, and had failed miserably as the plan backfired on her. I was up in my room at night, waiting anxiously for the next day, when Charlie would send over everything I asked him to, when I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," I said, bringing down my foot into the slippers at the feet of my bed.

Stefan came in, smiling slightly.

"Hey," I said. I had honestly wanted to spend all my time with him, but I didn't want to interrupt him and Elena. I was still not sure about her. I knew there was still something quite Katherine-like about her that made it a bit difficult for me to trust her. But on the other hand, maybe that was my prejudice speaking. And I could see that however fake this girl seemed, a true product of the twenty first century, she loved Stefan truly. I could see in her the same light I'd seen in Charlie's eyes every time he talked about his ex wife Renee, and also in Esme and Carlisle's eyes whenever they looked at each other. They were the best examples of true love I knew of, and I was sure that Elena loved Stefan, and vice versa, and I was truly happy that my friend had found happiness after all this time.

"Here you are. I've been looking all over for you," he said, coming to stand beside the bed. I motioned him to sit down beside me.

"Yeah, I've been… staying up here. I needed some time by myself for a while."

"So, you've taken to lying to me as well, Isa?" he said, assessing my emotions, reading them off my face, as he'd always done.

I looked down. Here was one person I could never lie to, no matter how many centuries of practice I'd had. He knew me too well for that.

"I'm sorry, Stefan. I… I didn't want to interrupt your time with your-uh- girlfriend."

'Stefan's Girlfriend' seemed such a strange concept. In the time I'd last seen Stefan, this whole girl friend business was a well frowned upon topic.

"But I found you after five hundred years, Isa. Surely, you think I would want to spend time with my best friend?" he asked, knowing too well of my introversive nature that drew me away from meeting new people, especially new people who knew of my truth. I had been a little uncomfortable being around Elena, who seemed too flamboyant to my taste, much like the Cullen girls, and Bonnie who seemed too bipolar- moving from extremely cheerful one moment, to depressed and sad the next. I picked up guilt from the witch as well, every time Damon's name had been mentioned. And the Elena girl seemed to turn strangely dramatic when Damon was mentioned, which was often. It all made me feel… awkward with sharing a room with them. And Damon was mentioned quite often by Elena, which brought out a fresh stream of guilt in Bonnie, and Stefan would grow quiet. I couldn't stand hearing the mention of the name that I've been avoiding even thinking about for over five centuries. To cap it off, every person in the room, even the landlady, possessed a significant amount of power, and the heady concentration was giving me a headache. So I decided to excuse myself, and went up to my room, contemplating on what to do next.

He looked at me, before sighing, and said, "Fine, I'll let it go."

I smiled gratefully.

"But I'm not dropping the other thing," he said immediately.

"What other thing?" I asked confusedly.

"The thing which you seemed so uncomfortable mentioning- the thing that happened in Forks," he replied.

Oh, just great. I knew he wasn't going to let go of this one.

"Stefan, it was nothing… I just… I met a guy, he sort of… left me, and I was depressed for a while. It's just, I hadn't been in a relationship before that for a long time, so it seemed fresh, and I was upset for a while, but I'm alright now… Honestly!" I added, as he gave me the look- the classic Stefan look that I was pleased to know he hadn't lost over the years- the one that sarcastically said 'Oh yeah… I believe you, alright.'

"Wait a second, how long _had _it been since you were in a relationship?" he asked suspiciously. I knew where this was leading.

I looked at him through my lashes, with a sheepish expression as I replied. "Uh, something close to… five hundred years?"

He looked at me in a disbelieving expression for a long time. "Why didn't you move on, Isa?" he asked finally.

I sighed. "It wasn't like I didn't try, Stefan. I did, I honestly did. But I just couldn't. I know it was fake, I know it wasn't real to him at all, but my heart… it doesn't believe that. It keeps holding on to the shreds of happiness it had once, hoping against all hopes that I will have it again. I know it's absurd, but that's the only thing that's sustained me, kept me going on till today, kept me from giving up on existence… And after finding you today, the feeling's strengthened, if nothing."

He hugged me. I succumbed to tears after a long long time in his arms, because I knew that this was the one place in the world where I could face the insecurities building up inside me without judging myself, or being judged. This was home. I hadn't lied to that boy at Forks High when I had said that I was the 'suffer in silence' type. I rarely cried.

"I'm sorry, Isa. I wish we'd found out about your existence earlier. Then, maybe we would have all been happier. We'd both give up on finding happiness in this world, and that realization changed up in unrecognizable ways. I shied away from everything and everyone, believing myself to be a cursed one, condemning myself to animal blood, and Damon… he went wild. He drove me away from whichever city I'd settled in, threatening me with his power. Being a human drinker, he'd accumulated such a vast amount of power, and was easily more powerful than me. I think he was drowning himself in power to escape from the pain of losing you."

"What are you talking about, Stefan?" I asked, confused. Why was he speaking as though Damon was… I didn't dare hope.

"Isa, I don't know how to tell you this. Katherine Influenced both of us. She Compelled us both to believe that you were the one in the fault. She made Damon say all those awful things to you, and made me think the worst of you. She made us abandon you. The truth was that she was jealous, Isa. She hated the relationship we three had, when she couldn't have anything remotely like that, even though you were her servant, and she was the Mistress. She had her sights set on us both, and she would never back out from something she wanted so much. I'm not saying that this was an excuse for what I did, because I'm at the blame for everything that happened. I let myself fall for her, and left you two vulnerable. I still don't forgive myself for how vulnerable I was, but this is the truth. It's my fault," he finished bitterly.

I sat in silence as my world crumbled around me. My heart was right all along. I was wrong, he did love me. After all this time.

"Oh," I breathed, and my shoulders slumped. Oh, Damon… Now I was more determined. I will make this work. With Charlie, Stefan, Sage, and maybe those girls Elena and Bonnie's help, it would work. The little flame of hope burned up into a forest fire.

"Stefan," I said, turning to him with rejuvenated energy. "Stefan, I need your help. I have a plan."

"Plan for what, Isa?" he asked, concerned.

"To bring Damon back."

**A/N: Review!**


	18. The Bomb

_**Previously on The Story Of Us:**_

"_Stefan," I said, turning to him with rejuvenated energy. "Stefan, I need your help. I have a plan."_

"_Plan for what, Isa?" he asked, concerned._

"_To bring Damon back."_

**Now:**

I anxiously stood outside the door, waiting for the delivery man. Charlie said he'd Fed Ex it, and it would get here by mid morning, but I was so excited that I was up earlier than normal, given that I stayed up all night, reminiscing with Stefan. Now he stood beside me, confused and a little frustrated that I still refused to explain.

"Isa, _calmarsi, _you need to calm down. Your excitement is getting to me." True, my emotions were making him restless as well.

I tried to get a control over my excitement, but all my restraint went flying out the window as I saw Charlie's cruiser sailing into the yard, and coming to a stop right beside my car. What? He came himself?

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to mail it?" I asked as I hugged my supposed father of my last few months.

"Couldn't risk it getting lost, it's too valuable, kid," he said as he freed himself. Trust Charlie to feel awkward at a show of emotions.

He leaned into the back seat, and brought out what I needed the most right now- Emily's book of spells. Her Grimoire.

Old and tattered, it contained the spells found and inherited by the Swan family, and passed on from generation to generation- mother to daughter, father to son- it was recorded with the history of the Swan family right from the first witch- centuries before Emily. And right now, that tattered, fragile book that was held together only by the magic it was protected with, was exactly what I needed.

Charlie, although not a witch himself, knew the theory. Every Swan in possession of the book knew about it, as it was their duty to pass on the knowledge to the next generation. He knew every spell, it just didn't do anything.

"So, who's this?" asked Charlie, wary of the power coming from Stefan. Witch or not, that man's intuitive powers were legendary, every Swan's was. In fact, Swan was a name most supernatural creatures who knew enough about the magic world knew. Swans were famous for their legendary powers, but few knew who the current members were, me being one of the privileged few.

"Uh, remember when I told you my story, I mentioned my best friend- Stefan?" I said. Charlie's expression turned incredulous.

"You're kidding?"

I shook my head, indicating that I wasn't, the grin on my face growing by the second.

"Wow, Katherine was a real piece of work, wasn't she?" Charlie chuckled.

We moved in, and after introductions, I told Bonnie and Elena, who were waiting inside, and Stefan, what I was planning on.

"This is Emily's family's Grimoire. It contains all recorded spells ever performed by her descendants as well as ancestors. Charlie here is her last living descendant. I am quite sure that there will be some spells in here that will help us bring back Damon, as long as everything goes according to plan. But we need help. We need a witch, and we need the Ambassador to the Netherworlds- who just happens to be Sage. And we need all the help we can get." I said, and turned to look at the varying expressions of incredulity, concern and hope in the five pairs of eyes looking back at her.

Charlie was the one to break the silence. "Uh, Bella, forgive me, but don't you think you're going too far with this?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, not getting his point, not getting why they weren't excited like I was.

"I'm sorry, I hate to tell you this, but I know that you're not over this guy, even after all these years, so maybe you're just over reacting?" said Charlie in a small voice, hoping to avoid offending.

I knew I would face some funny stares and questioning looks. It wasn't exactly in the norms, what I wanted to do. I was prepared for this, but not exactly from my friends.

"No, Charlie, I'm not getting carried away. I know what I'm doing," I said.

"But the Dead shouldn't be disturbed, that's what-" Elena tried telling me, but I interrupted her.

"He is NOT dead!"

She cowered back, and I realized that my vampire face was out. I checked myself quickly.

"I'm sorry, Elena, but you don't know. No one does. No one knows this dark world like I do, perhaps not even the Originals. I've spent every minute of my five hundred and seventy six years, five months and twelve days preparing for this day. I've been researching the supernatural, all over the world, looking to find roots of myths, the cause of stories… I've been to places you probably can't imagine in your wildest dreams, places that make the Dark Dimension look like a children's playground. I never knew what it was that drove me to study this world, I've put myself in danger every time I tried to gather information about some things, and you have no idea what hell has broken loose every time I went too close to something that wasn't meant to be disturbed. But that's never made me stop, never made me pause and think, "well, this has gone long enough, I should give this up and spend the rest of my existence in peace", because somehow, something always kept me holding on to the belief that all this information would one day be invaluable to me. And now I know what! I know that as people who've encountered the supernatural one way or the other, you all believe in omens, premonitions, fate. There is a reason why fate brought this bunch of people to this room. There's a reason why I was driven to gather all that knowledge! I know I can bring Damon back, I know it!"

Stefan was the only one apart from me who had a bit of hope in his eyes. He would never admit it, but I knew how much he missed the only family he had for most of his existence.

Bonnie spoke up. "But, how can you bring back someone from the dead? Elena had asked the Guardians to bring him back, but even they couldn't, because Vampires can't be brought back!"

"Not if they died on Earth, Bonnie," I replied, dropping the bomb.


	19. Support

_Bonnie spoke up. "But, how can you bring back someone from the dead? Elena had asked the Guardians to bring him back, but even they couldn't, because Vampires can't be brought back!"_

"_Not if they died on Earth, Bonnie," I replied, dropping the bomb._

An eerie silence filled the room. No one dared to speak, to respond. They were completely bowled over by the mere possibility that my words presented to them. I did not seek anyone's approval for what I had in mind to do; I wasn't begging anyone to join me.

I only had eyes for one person, the only person who offered me full support and help without me even asking for it. And I could see it in his eyes the very emotion that had kept me from breaking down right now, in front of these total strangers. I found hope in Stefan's eyes, but I also found reluctance to accept that very hope. I understood. He wanted to believe, but his fear futility held him back.

I got up, and silently walked over to where Stefan was sitting. Kneeling down in front of him, I took his hands in mine left, while my right caressed his cheek. His eyes, closed in turmoil, refused to open.

"We can bring him back, Stefan, I'm telling you," I said, gently coaxing him to open his eyes and look at me. He did so, albeit reluctantly. "I know it's strange to pop in from nowhere after centuries and then ask for you to trust me. I know that you need time before you let yourself trust me, let us go back to what we were once, but I can't help but force you right now. I need your trust, Stefan. I am not going to be able to do anything without you by me."

He looked at me with those soulful eyes, punched with some sudden sadness. In that moment, I couldn't help but remember two eyes that were the exact copies of the ones I was looking into right now. Exactly the same in size, shape, the way they portray the emotions of their owner… everything, except the color. My Damon's eyes were a frosted blue, as opposed to the warm green that were before me right now.

And then, it came crashing down to me. I loved Damon. And even if I didn't realize it, each moment of my separation from him in the last five hundred years was making the potential of our reunion more powerful. And I missed him. God, I missed him.

Stefan seemed to be doing his own thinking. I could almost say for sure he was remembering the time when he refused to trust me when I revealed to him the truth about Katherine. Even though he was under Compulsion, I realized that he was deeply remorseful for not believing me.

He sighed after what felt like hours, and then, nodded. "I'm with you, Isa," he said.

I smiled in gratitude, and in the victory. Here was my first ally.

I turned to look at the rest of the room. Mrs. Flowers was looking down seriously, and it seemed to be an odd look on her cheery face. Sensing my eyes on her, she looked up. Her eyes conveyed to me what she refused to say out aloud. She knew exactly what I was planning, and she advised me to not proceed. She knew full well what the consequences of such a task would be, to mess with things that ought not to be messed with. But she also had a resigned expression, indicating that she knew that I didn't fear consequences. She also offered me her full support.

Without looking, I knew that Bonnie would be with me as well. She was young, and new to her powers, no matter how immense they were. I could read her emotions quite easily. Guilt was clearly written across her face. I knew without asking, that she was ready to help me in any way possible.

Charlie would support me. If I knew anything about this man, it was that he was loyal. He was true to his friends, and would stand by them through anything.

Elena looked determined. I knew she would not be left out of this mission. She had spunk and the qualities to lead, but she also had ego, lots of it. And that was her only drawback.

I sighed. Yes, my team was assembled, with the exception of one piece. And my next step was to convince him. This was not going to be easy.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I stood with Bonnie inside the circle drawn in the soil. It was night time, and the darkness that crept in Mrs. Flowers' Garden was broken only by the faint glimmer of the candle placed in the centre of the circle. The rest of them were standing a few feet away, and silently observing us.

I could sense the girl's nervousness and apprehension. She hadn't voiced her thoughts, and had readily agreed to help when I asked her, but it was evident on her face that she was still unsure about her capability to do this.

I gave a small smile and a nod of encouragement, pressing her to begin. She closed her eyes. A strange hum echoed in the atmosphere as she began her chant in Druid. I waited for the moment when I had to step in. I knew the theory, a bit, of witchcraft, and from the little that I was aware of, I also knew that whatever happened, a witch should never be interrupted while chanting.

As she progressed, she slowly slipped into a trance, I could feel her mind becoming weightless, detached. Her hands came forth on their own volition, beckoning forward to me. I grasped her palms, and closed my eyes as well, and almost instantly, I could feel the senses connecting me to the outside world slipping away.

Daring to open the eyes of my mind, I saw Bonnie a few feet ahead of me, her hand still in mine. I had done this enough times before to know that this connection I had with the witch should not break, as it was the only thing tying me to my body.

Looking around, I found that we were, strangely, in cathedral. The high ceilings and the large windows gave me a sense of protection without being claustrophobic. The floor was cobbled stones; the aisles were lined with wooden benches carved beautifully in a long forgotten style that was familiar and endearing to me. This was Bonnie's mind.

"Which way?" I asked, my voice echoing eerily. Bonnie, in response, tugged my hand towards the end of the aisle, towards a door on the right. Inside, I found an empty room. It was adorned by nothing but a single table, small and rickety, holding a candle that was burning without flickering. The setting was meager, but there was an undeniable purity in the air that I almost found overwhelming.

Every witch had a place in their mind that was reserved for spiritual connections in all sanctity. Mind was the purest power that nature had gifted, and the encroaching of others' mind was not a matter to be taken lightly. This was why every witch who practiced telepathy did it was the utmost sacredness and care.

I was in Bonnie's sacred spot that she used for telepathic communications.

She and I stood facing each other, with the table in our middle. Our hands never left each other. Bonnie closed her eyes, and I could feel her concentrating on the mind of the person that I needed to talk to.

Almost soon, I could feel a familiar presence, reassuring as well as threatening, envelop me, and I knew we were successful in our attempt.

"_Ma chère, Isabel! _It has been too long!" said the strong voice, purely male, purely powerful.

"Sage!" I breathed in relief. I found him.

"I see you are with _m__es petits chaton! _My little kitten and her friends have met you, I see!"

"Kitten? You mean Bonnie! Yes, the thing is, I knew Stefan from before, we were both human together," I replied, trying to get to the point.

"Ah, then you must have known…" He trailed off.

"Sage, I need you here, in Fell's Church. Immediately."

"Ah, _mon ami, _what can I do there? What assistance do you require of me?" he replied. I could hear the amusement in his voice, it was as though he was he was humouring me.

"Sage, I need your help. I'm going to bring back Damon."

The immediate silence that followed was astounding. For a moment, I doubted if the connection was still intact. Then, he replied in his heavy accent.

"I am coming, Isabel."


End file.
